Poor You
by nothingtodo
Summary: A poor girl with a quiet crush on who-else-but-Rukawa whom she believes is out of her reach. T-T. Rukawa x OC/you/whoeveryouwantitobe. Plz R&R!
1. Practice

Just a short author's note! ^_^

1) Disclaimer: The usual. The characters don't belong to me ***sob!***

2) Rukawa X OC/ you / whoever it is that you want it to be

3) Enjoy! 

            She was dressed in an ancient uniform. A very old and gray one that you wouldn't have guessed that it used to be a clean white a long, long time ago. It was passed down to her. Originally, it used to belong to old Mrs. Rackman, who then passed it down to her daughter who then gave it to _her_ daughter who decided the uniform wouldn't fit her and gave it away. 

            It's hers now. 

            Old, worn out and ugly – but still useable.

            Her skirt, a green-turned-brown colour, was very small and short. It covered the necessary places, but left the rest of her legs bare. 

            She knew exactly how she looked. How could she not? She had to look at herself in the mirror everyday, hadn't she? And then she would have to go to school, where fingers will point and mouths whisper, where – to put it frankly – she was always the butt of the joke. Like a stock of funniness, an available topic to talk about when there's nothing else to insult. 

            She was used to it, to be sure. It's something, she had decided, that you just have to accept. Like an annoying buzz in the background. Like an alarm clock that wouldn't stop ringing no matter what you did. But used to it or not, it didn't make life any more easier.

            Now, life had gotten much harder.

            She'd seen him last week. Tall. Black ebony locks. Cool cobalt eyes. A basketball player. School representative. Much talked about around school. 

            Others had noticed him way earlier, and had made faster progress than she would have ever dared to. An unofficial fan club was already set up (last time she checked, it's membership had grown to approximately hundred over), not to mention a personal cheerleading squad that accompanied his every game. 

            She was drying to join in. But even if she was welcomed, she knew it was rather out of her league. Openly salivating for him would be a little too bold and horrifying. Not that he'd noticed. One thing she'd learn quickly enough was that once he got hold of the ball, everything and everybody else is dead to him.

            Still, it didn't deter his mob of fans.

            She supposed as long as their screaming didn't kill anyone, it's fine. As for herself, she preferred staying back after school to watch the practice. Sometimes the team practiced together. Sometimes they practiced alone. But he was always there. 

            It was satisfying just watching him. The way he moved, suddenly fast and then abruptly slow. The flashes of frustration and triumph on his face, hardly noticeable but clear if you know where to look. The entire package, really. A must-watch, and a must-have.      

            It was also bittersweet to watch him. It's like watching your favourite movie and yet knowing that it's not going to end the way you want it to. Like wanting to go to Europe and yet knowing the farthest you'll get is the entrance to the airport. Did she want him? Of course. It was stupid to deny. Just as it was stupid to dream about it.

            Her favourite spot was the topmost seat. Not too far and certainly not too close. That way, he wouldn't pay any attention to her (not that it'd make any difference even if she sat right under his nose) and thus leaving her free to pay all her attention to him without being too obvious. He would practice and practice up to ten o'clock, and she'd just … watch, contentedly. Then he would leave, oblivious to her. She would go too, usually the opposite way. 

            It worked well.

            But not anymore.

            The bright orange ball bounced up to her, barely missing her nose. She yelped once. Twice when the ball bounced back and hit her squarely on the head, sending her reading glasses flying into the air. When her vision cleared slightly, those impossibly blue eyes were staring at her from below.

            "I'd like my ball back."

            She stared back, awkwardly. Stupidly, she did a badly aimed throw of the ball to him. Then her eyes dropped down to his feet. "My glasses." It was barely a murmur, but the urgency oozed from her as she sprang to her feet and rushed down.

            He picked it up and handed it back to her, almost bewilderedly. The groan escaped her throat and unwilling tears pooled at the tips of her eyelashes. Her glasses were shattered.

            Hurriedly, she did a mental calculation. Repairing her glasses would cost around a hundred and more. Even the thought of the amount of money needed clogged her breath. That would take months to earn. Longer if Mother fell sick again.

            She could skip lunches in school, perhaps. Walk home instead of taking the bus. And maybe even –

            "You okay?" It was him again.

            She nodded absently. Picking up her things and the pieces of glass on the floor, she left, her head lost in a world of numbers and money-making strategies.

            He watched her quietly, his face blank. That had _not _been part of the plan. 

Then –

            _Whoops. I forgot to apologise. _

Hope you liked that. Plz review!


	2. Glasses

Here's the second chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed *mmuah!* 

Scarlet Maple: I know how you feel. Hate non-yaoi fictions featuring Rukawa too. He's just not suitable for any type of girl, IMO. But then again, I'm not into yaoi either. It's one of life's toughest choices. Since I can't bring myself to write yaoi, I'll just have to do a non-yaoi one. ^_^. Thanks for ur review! And keep reading!

Tensaispira: I hate Rukawa's cheerleaders. Whenever they come on screen, I feel like throttling anyone near me. But then again, I guess I wouldn't mind cheering for Rukawa that loudly either! Heh heh!

Kka: Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. J

Nellie: I like Fujima too. Maybe I'll attempt a fic on him someday. However, I have to admit, reading yaoi fics about him with Hanagata and who-knows-how-many-others has changed my way of looking at him a little bit.  I'm starting to think he's better off gay! Aaaargh! No!

Neo-kun: thank u so much. I am kind of tired of having girls drooling over Rukawa and going after him themselves. It's time we see the big guy trip over his own ankles to get a girl, eh? J Hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 2.

She was having a hard time trying to make out what the squiggly lines on her text meant. _King Richard VI knew he was hated and laughed,_ her brain translated. _Laughed? What??_

She peered closer, eyes narrowing and blinking in vain. _Oh, hated and LOATHED._

"What's the matter?" one long-nosed classmate asked, swishing her ponytail like one of those commercial girls. "Can't even afford to read?" Her cliques smiled, standing behind her in a perfect semicircle.

            _Ika. Darn. _She peered harder at her book. _They're not there. I don't know them. King Richard VI knew he was hated and loathed. He took steps to – _

"Heard you lost your glasses," Ika hooked a hip over the table and looked down. "Your mum must've been ballistic."

            _I don't know a thing. I don't hear a thing. King Richard took steps to ensure his throne. One of them was building a group of army with the intention of –_

"Unless, of course, she's still in bed whining about her miserable life."

            The book of text flew to the Ika's face. There was a shriek, and then she was sprawled on the floor, with the rest of her followers looking on with their mouths hanging open. 

            The cause of that crime stood up, her eyes flashing. "My mother does not whine," she said evenly. "Unlike the rest of you." Grabbing her book and the leftovers of her dignity, she rushed out of the class. _To hell with King Richard whichever-number-he-is-now and his army!_

Behind her, Ika and her bodyguards were screaming at her, struggling to catch up amid the busy crowd rushing in between classes. Sensing a drama was about to take place, half stopped in their tracks to be entertained. After all, this was not the first time it happened. 

            She was fuming. _Why can't they leave me alone? What do they want?_ She reached her locker, yanked it open and slammed her books inside. When she turned back, they had already surrounded her. 

            "You better watch yourself," Ika snarled, her ponytail haywire. "Keep in mind that your mother works for my family. I can have her kicked out anytime I want."

            It stung and hurt – a lot. "Just because she works for you does not make her your slave," her voice was mild, but the look she gave was murderous. "And neither does it make me the subject of your amusement."

            "Keep on talking like that and you won't have breakfast on the table in the next few months, smart mouth." Ika took hold of her chin and flicked it sideways. It was more insulting than being slapped. 

            She knew what to do. Countless times she had daydreamed about the things she would do to Ika Kirani if she had the chance. The mildest one was decorating Ika like a pig and stuffing her with tuna over a smoldering fire. The more gruesome ones were … not suitable to be mentioned. But it was not in her power to do any of those creative ideas. Just like nothing else is in her power to do or change.

            Suddenly, a big shadow loomed over them. Her gasp stopped at the edge of her esophagus. 

            It was him.

            Sensing the end of the drama, the loitering students went their separate ways. Ika didn't move, but froze where she was. The other girls immediately stepped away, like scattering ants avoiding being stepped on. He flicked a single blank glance at them, causing several stirs and reddened cheeks. But they were not what he was here for. 

            "Hey," he said almost gruffly to the yesterday's girl. The one looking at him as if he was a monster who was on his way to Timbuktu but somehow got to her locker. "You're the one I bashed, aren't you? With my ball."

            Mortification of the recent event flooded over her. However, it was quickly overcome by the wonder of him talking to her. "Uh, yes… I guess." _Uh oh, uh oh! Brain not able to process data!_ "I - I guess."

            He handed her a plain black package. "Here." It was placed in her hands. She could only stare at it, baffled. He turned to leave, but then abruptly turned back and looked at her straight in the eye. That made her heartbeats bump slightly. Those dangerous blue eyes...

            "Don't wear it during practice."

            Her brain snapped back. "W-what?" _Don't do what??_ But he was already gone. She blew a deep breath, willing her heart rate to return to normal again. 

            "What the hell did he give you?" Ika made a grab for the package. At the same time, their Mathematics teacher peeked out and yelled at them to "Come into the class, you pack of silly bums! You don't know how to calculate tangents in your later life, don't come crying to me!"

            Ika gave one glare and then trooped off with her pack of friends. But she stayed awhile outside, figuring she wouldn't need to calculate tangents that often in the future anyway. She was still holding the present.

            _Is that what it is? A present?!!_

            Her fingers fumbled with the wrapping paper.

            _Wait. What if it's a trick box?_ She was no stranger to trick boxes. Tricksters who thought they were very funny had given her about twenty in the past few years. The last one she got was a real-life-looking, wriggling rat that sent her into bed with cold-fever for days.

            _He's not that type, is he?_

_            Then again, there's really nobody you can trust._

_            Maybe he thought it was funny knocking her head with his ball. Maybe he's gotten more creative. Maybe he's got a candid camera somewhere to capture her humiliating reaction and screen it to the world. Maybe it's a plan co-arranged with Ika. Does he know Ika in the first place?_

She wrenched the case open and prepared herself for the worst.

            Nothing jumped out. No shuddering bodies with fake fur. No eight-legged freaks shaking those eight legs of theirs at her. Instead it was –

            Her eyes widened. Then, she burst laughing.

            A pair of brand-new reading glasses winked at her in the sun. 

            _It's lovely. It's gorgeous. It fits. It's perfect. It's –_ she froze as a realization hit her.

_            It's expensive._

            He didn't have with him a candid camera, but he was there to capture her reaction. It was all an accident. Really. Honest. Well, okay, so he did aim the ball in her direction on purpose, but only to the extent of having her look up and say something. All along, she had been around like a silent ghost and it's starting to bug him. Maybe he's used to the girls screaming around him after all.

            But instead, the ball had gone a step further and whacked the girl out of her senses – and out of her glasses. It broke.

            Okay, okay, it didn't just break. He broke it when he accidentally stepped on it. 

            Not that it was a big deal, right? They're just glasses. But she looked so… devastated. Like he'd scrapped her off her every precious possession. That led him to deal with his conscience, and he'd felt guilty. So he bought her a new one – hopefully, similar to the previous one. Besides, it was the right thing to do – and it wasn't like a kind act or anything. It was an obligation. You break it, you replace it. So no one could really accuse him of anything… naughty, could they?

            He watched her laugh. Wondered what was so funny. Turned baffled at the look of despair on her face, a look that came out of nowhere. _What? Wrong colour? Wrong shape? What? What??_

            Then she hurried back into class. _Tangents. Bah!_

            Anyhow, he hoped she'd stop coming around watching him. It made him nervous, for some unknown reason.

            Besides, her incredibly short skirt is rather distracting.

Hope you liked that. Go on, review!


	3. Thank you

Third chapter!! Hurrah! 

Mistress of darkness: Arigatau! Trust me, Ruk is not just cute – he's GORGEOUS *starts drooling all over her face* I'm glad you like the story!

Tiran: *pales in terror* I've put up the next chapter! Plz, don't shoot me! I hope this one will entertain you J BTW, why did you say you were going to cry?

Tensaispira: I don't think the ants would understand. ;P. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Kka: Thanks. That's a very nice thing to say *blushes*

Nellie: Okay, we'll pretend there are no yaoi Fujima fics out there. *starts chanting "Kenji's not gay… Kenji's not gay…"* Enjoy!

ScarletMaple: I do agree that Sen and Ru make a nice couple, and there are some great fics that showcases it perfectly – but I try not to be influenced. I don't care! If I can't have him, NOBODY will! (Heh heh). I hate tangents, by the way. Just learnt them in class. Actually, I'd learnt it years ago, but the teacher had successfully twisted the concept into something impossible to understand. So now I hate it.

Joy: REALLY? YOU'RE, LIKE, PRACTICALLY THE VERY GIRL I HAVE IN MY STORY?? *mouth goes wide open in wonder* Wow. That is so cool! I find your crush on your best friend (ehem ehem) very sweet. Have you made a move yet? I'm all for happy endings. J PS: I don't mind e-mailing you, but can you tell me what's your e-mail??

Wadohui: Thanks! Hope you'll keep on reading! And reviewing! (honestly, you guys make my day)

Chapter 3

            She was there again, at practice. She'd thought trice about it. _To go, or not to go?_ What was once an almost natural thing to do became a serious notion that needed the utmost consideration. What would happen if she went? What would happen if she didn't? And does it really matter anyway?

            She decided she would go.

            Firstly because she needed to thank him. If that were impossible (in case her brain goes into shut-down mode again), then she'd just say or do something – anything – that meant 'thank you'. Like bow a perfect 90 degrees. Whatever.

            Secondly because it's practically a habit already. It just doesn't seem right not to watch him at least once a day. It's like not having coffee for breakfast. Or like not flushing the toilet after using it, resulting in bad after effects (read: stinking stench!).

            Disgusting. Sorry, wrong simile.

            He was there – nothing unusual about that. It was Thursday. The team did not practice together on Thursdays. Pausing by the entrance, she watched him perform one of his astonishing shots. Held back a whistle of amazement that itched to be heard. 

            Suddenly, loud cheers and hoots erupted.

            _What?_

            She stepped forward, looked around – and saw Ika and her friends sitting snugly at _her _usual spot. _Her_ territory. They looked back at her, shooting smug smiles as excellently as the object of their affection shoots balls. She stared back, apparently lost for words. _Man, am I sick of their cosmetic-enveloped faces or what??_ She flicked a glance at the court – at him – and then again at her nemesis. Hesitated for a while. _Should I stay? Could I take them on? There are ten of them. _Basic mathematics revealed that she was outnumbered. _No. No way am I going to do verbal battle with ten loud mouths that are obviously well prepared._

She started to leave, hadn't even taken a complete step when the ball dropped to the floor and rolled by her. She was starting to think a ball-magnet had been installed inside her since birth. 

            Then he was walking past her, going outside. Bent down and took the ball from between the grasses in one big hand. She felt her thoughts scattering. _Say something! Quick!_ "Y-You didn't have to." _Sheesh, that's my thank you??_

            He turned, eyed her coolly. "What?"

            _Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out._ "The specs," _Breathe in, breathe out._ "You didn't have to."

            He stared at her. Then simply shrugged.

            It was awkward, she decided. "It, uh, it must've cost you something."

            His narrow eyes narrowed even more.

            Oh yeah, it was definitely awkward. "Not that I don't appreciate it," she quickly said, sensing danger. "It's perfect, really, but it's just…" _Just what? Just what? _"…unusual."

            He was getting impatient. She could see it. "Your point is?" he asked, almost rudely.

            "My point? … My point is, um …" she let her breath explode out. "Thank you." There, she said it. "That's what I wanted to say. It was… very nice of you."

            No reaction. The impatience had dissolved, but he continued on looking at her. She could hear murmurs behind her and knew the girls had crept over to see what was keeping their idol so long. _Exit! Exit!_ Her mind warned her. But he was blocking her way.

            She glanced back, saw Ika glaring at her. _Oh, not good. Not good._ Turning back, she said, "That's all, really. I – I have to go home."

            He stared at her a little longer. _Does he stare at everyone like that??_, she asked herself._ Not that he doesn't look good with those killer eyes and killer looks, but really!_ Then, smoothly, he stepped inside and went back to the court, dribbling the ball lightly. 

            He watched her make her faster-than-lightning exit. He figured the group of girls currently staring at him was part of the cause. Weren't they the same ones who had formed the Great Wall around that girl's locker just this morning? He bet they were.

            What went on between them, he wondered? What was it that put them over that girl and intimidated her so? 

            Doesn't matter. Not important.

            Still, he was kind of disappointed she left. He thought blocking the doorway would be an obvious enough sign to hint that he wanted her to stay. But then again, hadn't he wished that she wouldn't come at all earlier today? 

            Confusion, confusion. 

            He had a rule. A simple one:

            When things get tangled and confusing, FUH-GED-DABOUTIT! (forget about it!)

            He aimed for the basket. His audience whooped even though the ball was only halfway in the air. It looked like a precise shot. The ball flew in a hemisphere curve in the air, headed straight for its goal –

            Missed.

            _WHAT???_ He yelled silently in his head.

            His fans cheered enthusiastically nonetheless.         


	4. Confrontation

This is the REAL fourth chapter that I forgot to post! Sorry! Hopefully, no confusion was caused. 

            The same scenario happened the next day. She found the   same group of girls she'd nicknamed the D.U.L.L.s (Danger! Unbearable Loony Leeches) at the same spot she had found them yesterday. The entire team was practicing. However he was nowhere to be seen.

            _That's a surprise,_ she thought dimly, struggling to decide what to do. Not that there were many choices. The D.U.L.Ls were all looking at her, grinning like barracudas. Turning around to leave the gym, she heard them giving each other high-fives to celebrate their victory. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fist tightly. 

            _Today's your day, bloodsuckers,_ she thought darkly, storming out of the gym in fury. _Someday, it'll be mine. Just wait._

            Not feeling confident about it as she would've liked to be, she muttered several curses. Then she saw him, silently coming out of the changing room, downing a can of frozen Cola. Distracted, she almost tripped over a pot of plants that stood in her way. 

            The flicker in his eyes told her he'd noticed her. Somehow, feeling compelled to greet him, she quickly said: "Hi." Feeling it was too short a greeting, she added, "I'm, uh, I'm going home." _Duh. _

He didn't say anything, looking as if he hadn't been listening. Slightly abashed and cursing herself for talking to him when they had nothing to do with each other (talk about public humiliation), she quickly opted for a quick and smooth escape. 

            She was metres away when -

            "Why?"

            She stopped dead in her tracks at the unexpected and delayed response. Amazed, she turned around to find him looking straight at her. "Um," she grappled for an answer. "Because that's where I live?"

            He saw it as a sarcastic reply and pressed his lips together in irritation. "No. Why do you let them bully you like that?"

            She thought she knew what he was implying, though why he was broaching the subject puzzled her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said with aplomb. 

            "I think you do."

            She was getting annoyed – she could feel it. The simmering fire coming to life. 

            "Why do you let them push you around?" he continued. "You're all but kneeling at their feet and kissing their shoes."

            She saw red, whole flashes of it. 

            He finished his drink and tossed it into a can nearby. Shifting his sports bag, he looked at her, said, "Go home then, cowardly turtle," and left.

            She stared at his retreating back, mouth wide open.


	5. Cowardly turtle

Chapter 5 is up!__

_Cowardly turtle… cowardly turtle… cowardly turtle…_

            She closed her eyes tight. The words had been ringing in her head since yesterday, determinedly floating around in her cerebral cortex. At home, at sleep, at Social Science, at recess and now, at her locker. She stuffed her books inside violently, suddenly angry all over again.

            _Cowardly turtle…_ her eyes glazed. _That bastard. I was NOT being a cowardly turtle. Why would he think I'm a cowardly turtle? I definitely did NOT shrink, and I positively did NOT kneel!_ She glared at her innocent Chemistry textbook. _Who's the cowardly turtle anyway? At least I don't need nine hooligans to back me up like that no-good Ika Kirani! At least I don't huff and puff about my wealth just so I'd stand out from the crowd!_

            Okay, so that was because she had no wealth to show off in the first place. But even the Sultan of Arab didn't gloat about his oil plantations, did he? 

            _Cowardly turtle! _She hissed silently. _How dare he! That stupid block of utter dumbness with blind eyes and that mop of black hair! HOW DARE HE??_

She headed for the school gate, wrenched the heavy door of the building open and came face-to-face with the previously mentioned stupid block of utter dumbness with blind eyes and that mop of black hair.

            He was on his way inside – to the gym, still in his uniform, looking slightly sleepy and lazy. He assessed her for a second, turned to look at the wide-open getaway (gate) behind him and looked back. "Going home?"

            She seethed. Why she thought he was amazing and talented baffled her. Did she really stay back and lingered like a fool just to watch him? What on earth for?

            _Hormone burst_, she blamed. _Just a moment of infatuation._ Her eyes are open now. Glaring at him, something she had never done before, she muttered, "Actually, I'm going to the sea.  I'm going for a swim with the rest of the turtles."

            He started to walk away. "Humph." 

            She stayed where she was, fists clenched. That brush-off seemed worse than all the brush-offs she'd gotten from Ika combined. _What was that 'humph' supposed to mean?_ _What's there to 'humph' about anyway?_

            At that moment, the D.U.L.L. stepped in through the same door. Her spine stiffened and she practically snarled. They noticed her, raising their eyebrows, lips curving._ No, _she heard herself think. _Not today._

            She turned and walked straight for the gym. 

            The D.U.L.L gasped, taken by surprise at the unplanned reaction. "I think she's going to stay, Ika," one girl helpfully supplied.

            Ika pursed her lips stiffly. "Not for long." 

            They marched into the gym, spared a moment to look at the light in their lives making a successful toss before scouting for their victim.

            He saw them too. Anticipated what was about to happen. He'd been surprised when the cowardly turtle stomped in, all but shooting knives from her eyes at him. She had settled herself at the usual place, looking ready to battle. That puzzled him a bit. Was she trying to pick a fight with him?

            But now he knew.

            He pretended to practice dribbling. From the corner of his eyes, he watched the ten girls crowd around her. Saw one of them saying something apparently very cutting, because he saw the same animal flash on her eyes he'd seen yesterday. 

            Glares and death looks were shooting from all directions, he thought, slightly amused. The girl was not responding, but merely listening to what they had to say to her.

            _Coward,_ he scoffed. _Why can't you say something?_

            However, his eyes widened excessively when the girl's hand snaked out and made contact with the face of her insulter. The first analogy that came to his mind was of a volcano, suppressing and then erupting without warning. _Cowardly turtle be gone_, he thought. The sound it made echoed through the gym and the entire basketball team stopped practicing, suddenly distracted and interested. 

            Not that he blamed them. The girl was standing now, looking down at the girl she had just slapped who clutched her cheek in shock. Her voice rang out, loud and clear, contrasting with the dead silence enveloping the place. "I've hit you once and I've hit you now. No doubt I'll do it again if I felt like it. You can leave me alone and go away, or you can go to hell." She shook with rage. Then her eyes snapped to the other frightened faces. "And for the rest of you followers, if I can hit her, then I can very well hit you too." She shook her fist to prove it.

            That threat seemed to have an effect on them. Ushering their leader to her feet, they quickly scurried away, embarrassed at having caused a scene and being the joke of it. The girl who was slapped screamed, "Damn you!", gathering what seemed to be the last of her posture. The reply came immediately, "Yeah, and damn you too!" 

Behind him, his fellow teammate chuckled. He wanted to do so too, but decided not to. Instead he walked over to her, still pretending to practice dribbling the ball.

            Her eyes snapped hotly to him. He enjoyed it, for some unknown reason. "If you say something, anything," she hissed. "I'll hit you too."

            He judged the difference of their strengths and decided it was impossible. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

            She started to say something rude to him, but then stopped and pondered. "Yeah…kind of." A smile spread slowly across her face. She was smiling at herself, replaying the image of Ika's red-and-pink face and her black-and-blue cheek. He watched as it abruptly turned saucy. "Get them back here. I want to do it again."

            At the stunned look on his face, she laughed. Then she suddenly stopped, as if realizing something and the awkward silence fell between them. She shifted left and right. It was better, she thought, being angry with him. When she was angry, her head was crowded with curses and nothing else. But now her head was clear, and she started to see again why it was that had hooked her to him. 

            He was not a stupid block of utter dumbness anymore. He actually looked warrior-like, all masculine and male in that sports gear of his. His dark blue eyes peeked through his messy fringe, seeking and claiming attention – did she actually call them blind? Why on earth did she do that? He's got the most brilliant of eyes…

            "I'm Kaede." He saw the confusion seeping into her eyes. "Kaede Rukawa. It's my name."

            _Is that a subtle form of an insult?_ She thought vaguely, seething up again. "I know. I'm Akima Hanashi. It's a name too."

            He believed he was beginning to like that clever mouth. He must be out of his mind.

            From the other end of the gym, his team captain, the cute and not-so-lengthy muffin-head roared at him to start shooting baskets. He turned to leave when she abruptly stopped him. "Thanks," she said. "If you hadn't provoked me, I wouldn't have lost my head and did what I did. Just now, that is. I mean -" she blew a breath. "Slapping them… I mean, her – the one with that long ponytail. She deserved it. I –" _Good riddance, why is this so hard??_ "Thanks." She finished lamely. 

            _My pleasure._ But he didn't reply.

            Aiming a three-pointer, he snuck a glance to see her settling comfortably in her seat in a more relaxed posture than the one earlier on. _Akima._ He started to visualize her in his mind. Then, realizing what he was doing, he quickly blinked and shook his head. _Shit._

            He sent the ball and watched.

            It went in. 

R = REVIEW!!


	6. Work

Here's the sixth chapter!! Thank you for reviewing!

Silhouette Panther: Thanks! Hopefully, you're a Realist! ^_^ Plus, I love your characters. Have you updated The Bride yet???

Joy: You know, your little love story if getting juicier. Abandoning your lunch! Whoa! This is a SERIOUS case of CRUSH. Anyway, thank you for reviewing! (PS: He teaches your French??? Cool. I can never get the pronunciation right. My tongue gets twisted around my mouth)

Kka: Hullo back to you. Sugar rush, eh? The chapter's up! Hope you like it J

Tiran: Thanks. You're the sweetest. J (PS: There was mush in my fic? WHERE? WHEN? How come I didn't notice???)

Tensaispira: Hey, thank you for still reading! Heh heh. Yeah, Akima's not so shy – but only when she gets angry. When she's not, she still stutters! (Aack! I'm criticising my own original character! *whacks herself and quickly begs Akima for forgiveness*)

Nellie: Glad you're amused. I'd really like to slap someone too, but never got around to it. (No, wait, actually, I've slapped my friend once when she was distracting me in class by singing a totally unknown song LOUDLY – and IN MY EARS – but it was a joking slap) (she slapped me back!)

Leika: Hi! Thanks for reading my fic. J I hate stories where Ruk's destiny partner is all perfect and gorgeous too. It makes me think I'm not good enough for him (ke ke ke!). And yes, Fujima should NOT be gay! Nobody should MAKE him gay. Keep on reading! I hope you like this chapter.

Mistress of darkness: Actually, I didn't want to put a name to her. But then it kind of got hard to write when there are two girl characters talking. It's like: She said this to the other girl. The other girl said this to the previous girl. The girl who talked first snapped something back. The girl who was snapped at then threw a punch. You know what I mean? So I put a name. Took the one from Titan A.E. : P

Chapter 5

            Going home that day was easier. The feeling of a stupendous accomplishment accompanied her down the roads and turns. That was the first time she had slapped anybody in public and she liked it. Might even consider doing it for a career.

            _Kaede Rukawa_. He had been right now that she thought about it. She _had_ been kind of cowardly and encouraging them to probe harder with her meekness. Grinning, she did a little skip. _Look who's meek now._

            She climbed up the steep stairs to her flat, whistling all the while. Twisting her house key in the lock, she pushed the door open and stepped in. Her mother was slumped over the tiny table in the tiny kitchen, staring at her cup of coffee.

            "Hi, mom," she greeted cheerfully. "How was your day?"

            The first sob erupted from her mother's thin-lipped frown.

            She froze in the act of taking her shoes off. Her mother was crying. That never meant anything good. Her spirits dampening, she walked over with bare feet to the table. "What is it?" she asked reluctantly, not exactly excited to find out. "Is it the bills again? Mom, I swear I didn't use the water-heater at all this month, honest."

            Her mother looked up, composed herself. "It's not that," she shook her head. "It's just…" her eyes watered all over again. "I – I lost my job." 

            Her daughter paled, turning frighteningly white and still. 

            "I don't know what happened!" she quickly said, reaching out to take the cold hand that lay on the table. "I was in the young mistress' room, cleaning. There was a ruby red necklace on the table. It –" she choked slightly. "It reminded me of the one I used to have. I just wanted to look at it. The young mistress came in and saw me holding it and accused me of stealing." Her tears flowed freely. "I'm sorry, Akima."

            _Young mistress… Ika,_ her brain told her darkly. _She acts fast._ Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to her mother's. "What now?"

            Her mother sighed, dropping her head on the table again. "I don't know. I just don't know."

            Saying nothing, they lingered quietly at the table.

            He had not seen her for a week. Not that he was worried, but it was slightly puzzling. Judging by her success over the group of bullies, he would've thought that she'd be more willing to come to see him practice. Now, she's not even coming to school.

            And to make things even more confusing, her enemies were looking more and more self-satisfied. Did something happen outside his knowledge that turned the tables around?

            He flipped the note that his parents had left him on the refrigerator. 'Kaede, your mother and I are at the premier of the new movie that we sponsored. Sorry that we didn't take you along. Your mother thought it was much too violent for you to watch. You would probably have noticed that there is no food in the house. We've left you some money so you can have dinner outside. Take care – Dad'

            _Too violent,_ he scoffed. If that movie were violent, then he wouldn't know the term for the fights that went around in school.

            Crushing the paper money into his pocket, he headed for the nearest restaurant that served tofu. It was crowded and he was just in time to get a table for himself. "Hello, sir. What would you like to have?"

            Recognising the voice, he lifted his head sharply. "Akima."

            Her eyes widened and she nearly dropped the pad she held lightly in her palm. "You!" she sputtered, cheeks turning the colour of magenta. "What are you here for???"

            Surprised at the shame that flashed all over her face, he answered, "Food. You?"

            She was still struggling to recover. What was he doing here? Why did she come to this table? What would he think, seeing her like that? "I – I, uh, I work here." Again, her cheeks reddened and she shifted her gaze to the boring tablecloth. Clearing her throat, she quickly asked, "What food would you like?"

            "Why are you working here?" he ignored her question. "It's night."

            Her temper was already simmering. _Just give me your bloody order and let me go. _"Because I need to live." Shifting uncomfortably, she tapped her notepad. "Do you want to eat or not?"

            "It's dangerous," he dismissed her murderous glare, and let his eyes wander over her. "Especially with you dressed like that." 

            She glanced consciously down at her waitress uniform. Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "You don't seem to mind other girls wearing the same thing."

            "They're older girls," he told her. "They can take care of themselves."

            "And I can't?" she demanded. He simply looked blankly at her. Sighing, she blew an impatient breath. "I don't want to fight with you. Do you want to eat or not?"

            "Have you eaten?"

            She'd been working from dawn. There was barely any time to eat. "No. If you don't order now, I'm going to go."

            "All right." He skimmed the menu. "Two tofus. Large. Two ice lemon. Large too."

            She jotted that down. "Starving, aren't you?" she murmured.

            "One's for you."

            Her eyes snapped to his, studied his face for any trace of sarcasm or sneer. She seemed to question his sincerity. Then –  "I don't like tofu."

            "Fine," he shrugged. "Get something else."

            "I can't." she took the menu back from him. "Are you blind? I'm working."

            "Do you want to eat or not?" his tone matched hers. He mildly stared back at her, feeling his own impatience bubbling up. The wary way she was looking at him rather annoyed him. 

            "Why are you doing this?" she asked in puzzlement. "Is this some kind of a trick to get me to owe you something?"

            His eyes narrowed. "Do you want to eat or not?"

            She considered him. It was quite unbelievable that he was asking her to eat with him, even though there was nothing romantic about it. She looked at the clock on the wall. Her shift was nearly over anyway, and besides, it's free. Still, she couldn't imagine how they'd manage to eat peacefully seeing he was prone to annoying her and vice versa tonight. "I'll go get your order for you."

Pls Review!

(You're probably tired of me telling you to do this, but really – I love reviews!)

So, one more time:

REVIEW!! *grins*


	7. Suspension

7th chapter! I won't be around for three days, so I decided to post this one quickly. J Enjoy!

Chapter 6

            It was her third burger. He watched her wolf it down in between sips of Coke. They hadn't spoken at all since she came back with the tray of food and joined his booth. He had finished his tofu a long time ago and now sat quietly with the glass of ice lemon in his hand.

            She dimly became aware that he was looking at her. Did he have to look? She was acting like an animal that had not eaten anything since birth. "Sorry," she said after successfully swallowing the huge chunk of beef she'd stuffed into her mouth. "I'm pretty hungry."

            He didn't say anything.

            He was making her nervous. Now that her belly was almost full, her senses were growing sharper and more acute. She was starting to notice the way he was dressed, casual and comfortable. The way he sat, all grace and style. The way he was looking at her, those piercing blue eyes quiet and shrew. 

            What did he see when he looked at her? She'd like to know. 

            "I'm done." She announced, her voice low to match the atmosphere that hung over them. 

            He started to get up, vaguely thinking of how much the entire dinner would cost him. He paid the rather startling amount at the counter, and then exited the place with her. 

            She turned to say thank you and bid him good night but was surprised to see he was heading the same way she was. "You live somewhere there too?" she asked curiously. 

            "No. I'm just walking you home."

            That stiffened her proud spine. "You don't have to," her tone turned icy as she remembered what he had said to her earlier on. "I can very well take care of myself. I'm not stupid."

            He closed his eyes, sensing the beginning of a fresh fight. Couldn't that girl think?? It was practically ten o'clock. Gangsters are crawling all over the place at times like this. He himself had faced them more than a few times. He'd gotten a few bruises and scars from that. He didn't think bruises and scars were all they'd give Akima should she stumble into their paths.

            He shrugged and stepped away. "Fine." He said just as icily. 

            She didn't say anything, but turned around and walked away stiffly. 

            "Are you coming to school tomorrow?" he asked behind her. She bit her lip. She had pushed school a couple of numbers down her priority list and had not even thought about it for the past week. She frowned, remembering an upcoming test. 

            Work or school?

            Work or school?

            "I don't know," she answered him. "Maybe."

            He watched her disappear after a turn and then started to follow her. Somebody had to make sure she got home alive and in one piece. 

            Her mother had gotten a job as a shopkeeper somewhere. She had been persuaded to go back to school. She had listened and complied, thinking it would be a shame if she stopped. Now, she didn't think so.

            "Akima," the headmaster was looking intently at her. "We found this in your bag." He held up a gold-coloured wallet in her face. She stared at it, confused and startled. "This happens to belong to Ms. Kirani, containing a huge amount of money which she had lost only this morning. Care to explain yourself?"

            She could've sighed out loud if only she had the energy to do so. _Ika strikes again,_ she thought dully, closing her eyes against the frustrated tears that threatened to come out. "I didn't do it." That was all she could say.

            "We have more than five witnesses. They all agree that this wallet was indeed in your bag." The headmaster stroked his thick glasses thoughtfully. _And I bet all five are D.U.L.Ls_, she thought bitterly. "Listen, Akima. I know it's financially hard for you with your mother being fired by the Kirani family, but you didn't have to do this. This is not the way to take revenge. Following your mother's footsteps will not bring you any good."

            "My mother did not steal," she snapped quietly, the first signs of her temper showing. "And neither did I."

            "Akima…"

            "It's a subterfuge!" she burst out in rage. "Can't you see? Someone put it in my bag and accused me! I don't need the Kirani's money! What I need is to be left alone!" Tired, she slumped back against the hard chair.

            "Akima…"

            It was no use, she decided. The headmaster's convinced. _Why now?_ She sighed. _Why me?_ Closing her eyes even tighter, she sucked in a breath. "What are you going to do to me?"

             The headmaster looked at her. "Suspension, Akima. For three days as soon as the exams end."

            She looked back at him with absolutely no expression. "All right." She nodded, suppressing a miserable sob. "All right." 

Okay, this time, I won't use the word 'Review. I'll use:

Tell me what you think!


	8. Help

Alert! Alert! Plz pay attention!

Firstly, an apology for this stupid mistake that I made.The fourth chapter that I downloaded is actually the fifth – or in other words, I forgot to upload one of the chapters. I was looking at my fic yesterday, and chapter 3 and 4 didn't connect, so I was like: Hah?? Then I realized that I didn't upload the chapter in between, so that's why there was confusion. I'm really sorry! I hope all of you don't mind having to read the entire story all over again – no, not the entire story, but from chapter 3 onwards. Sorry again!

Joy: Thanks! I am continuing it, so don't worry!

Leika: Thank you – that's a HUGE compliment. I'm glad you hate Ika – and not the other way round! :P Anyway, I WAS tempted to – what did you call it? – "leave it hanging like all the other fics" (because it's much more fun when you can have the ending the way you imagined it to be and not just the way the author put it) but since you've requested, I suppose I HAVE to make an ending. Hmm….

Nellie: Here's another one who would like to put her hands on Ika! Ha ha! I've not really seen someone like Ika, but I suppose there are people like that – although not as dramatic. Thanks for reviewing!

Tensaispira: There's nothing wrong with hyper so you don't have to ask to be excused. And yep! Rukawa to the rescue! (though not as gallantly or as charmingly as you would like it to be!)

Mistress of darkness: Hey, you almost sound as if you were apologizing ("don't worry, it's only that I like to read good stories like this one a lot.")!!! Thanks for reviewing!

Girl_sport17: Thanks! Hey, you're a new one! I'm glad you like the story. What does your brother say? Is he into Rukawa too?

SLL: Hi! Thanks! You really threatened someone about slapping her?? Poor her, whoever she is. What did she do? Anywayz, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! (PS: Is Rukawa nice to her? I dunno. I never saw it from that point of view. From where I stand, he seems to be nosing around – and not being very polite at that too!)

Tiran: Thanks for telling me what you think! Ha ha ha! 

Bo^Bi^Ta: Thank you! Very sweet of you!

Chapter 8

He found her by the gym – or rather, under the stairs heading up to the gym – crouched down into a small ball to match the small way she was feeling. There were no tears – he figured she'd got that part over and done with. She only stared moodily at the floor, eyes closing every now and then as if forcing reality to sink in.

            "Hey," he called, his shadow looming over her. "Hiding?"

            The first word that came out of her mouth was a very rude one. Her eyes, hot and growing hotter, zoomed in on him. He'd expected that. However, the moment her brain recognized and registered him, shame enveloped her face and she looked down again. "Sorry," she mumbled. "What do you want?"

            He didn't answer.

            Annoyed and out of sorts, she glared at him. Why, why, why did he have to appear at times like this? When everything was upside down and she had yet to compose herself? Why did he have to add to the turmoil that she was facing? "What? The place's surrounded by police wanting to arrest me?"

            She watched in astonishment when he ignored her snide remark and sat down beside her. There wasn't much space under the stairs, and him trying to fit in didn't help much. Despite the mess that her head was in, it still found space for a little bit of uncomfortable tugs that the way their body made contact caused. "Go away," she tried to wave him off. "Go practice or something."

            "They're looking very pleased with themselves." He suddenly said, drawing loops on the floor with his fingers. 

            At the mention of the D.U.L.L.S, her eyes darkened. "Yeah, wish them congratulations for me." 

            "So that's it?" he murmured, eyes locked on hers. "Let them win, and go bury yourself?"

            Anger simmering around her, she retorted, "Oh, I'm not going to bury myself. I'm just moving to the Moon." Hissing, she shot him a look. "What do you care, anyway? Listen, I took your advice and blasted those idiots some time ago. Look where that got me." She pointed a finger and waved it in his face. "You want to give me some more advice? Well, I've got one for you too. My advice is, you can take your nosy nose and flapping mouth and stuff it down your thick skull."

            He willed himself to stay calm and be deaf to the words she was screaming at him. She was distraught and unstable, he reminded himself. Other times, maybe he'd scream back at her, but not this one. When she struggled to get up, he mildly said: "Aren't you going to tell me that you're innocent?"

            "What for?" she replied sarcastically. "Would you believe me?"

            "Maybe."

            She froze for a second, then got all angry again. "Well, when you finally decide on a yes or no, tell me." Furious that she was actually touched, for a second, by his comment, she all but kicked him aside. 

            He stopped her. "I believe you."

            "Believe I did what? That I did it, or that I didn't do it?"

            "That you didn't," he started to snap. "Now are you going to talk properly or am I going to have to scream to get through that thick head of yours?"

            Her mind had gone blank when he'd answered her retort. He believed her, she thought dimly. That's a first for today. "I – " lost for words, she sat down again. "Why?"

            Contented that she wasn't raising her voice, he shrugged. "You're proud. You would never mar your ego by doing something petty like stealing a purse. It's way too common for you."

            She stared at him, awed. 

            "Besides, if you wanted to steal, I think you would've opted for a bank robbery. More money there."

            Tears and humour danced in her eyes. "You believe me," she said it half gasp and half sigh. "Even though I'm sure there's an insult somewhere, but you believe me." Touched and somehow relieved beyond description, she shamelessly reached for his hand and grasped it in hers. "I didn't do it," she whispered earnestly, almost to herself. "For a moment there, I was ready to give in. I thought, heck, nobody believes me, they all think I'm a liar and a thief. Why not let them? It'd be so much easier than trying to convince them otherwise." Her lashes brimmed with tears that she stubbornly held back. "But you believe me."

            Her hand was warm on his, uncomfortably warm, making his hand sweat, for some unknown reason. The dots of teardrops that lingered at her thick lashes served as a distraction. She looked down then, as if reflecting. He watched quietly, lost for words to say for the moment. Then, smiling wistfully and rather ironically, she looked back at him and said: "So, any advice?"

            He almost laughed. Almost. "I have a plan you might like."

            She squeezed his hand. "Wait," she said quietly, "before we get to that, I have something to say." Clear brown eyes sought his and held his gaze. "I want to thank you for everything you've done. You provoked me to tell Ika off, you treated me dinner, and now you're helping me when so many others find it more interesting to watch. I don't know why you're doing all these, but I surely appreciate it."

            _To be honest,_ he heard himself say. _I don't know why I'm doing it either. _

            When he snapped back to earth, she had withdrawn her hand in a sudden state of shock and now stared at her shoes in reddening embarrassment. "So, uh," she coughed uncomfortably. "What was your plan?"

            He told her.

            "That's a stupid plan," she scoffed at the end of the explanation. He started to tell her to shut up but was distracted when she grabbed his hand again and looked at him with a look of pure excitement. Proudly, she announced,  "I have a better one." 


	9. Plan: Stage #1

Ninth chap! :D

Joy: Thank you. I'm starting to think that I'm unconsciously writing about you, even though I barely know you. Still, it's cool! Thanks for reviewing!

Nellie: Find out, ; )

Girl_sport17: You'll find out about the plan soon, so relax. : D I thought Akima was sweet too… but hey, first impressions are deceiving. Contrary to your brother, mine HATES Sakuragi, but that's only because he (my brother) is an unreasonable idiot. I think Sakuragi is sweet, although that seems to be the wrong word to describe him. But he is! (in a way)

Tiran: Thanks a lot! I have to admit that I am slow in updating now – I'm getting busier and busier *sighs*. Anyhow, hope you like this chap!

Tensaispira: I like the D.U.L.Ls too (the name that is, not the girls). J Chapter's up, so have fun reading! 

Tanith: Hi, Tanith. Sorry, but which two boxes are you talking about??

Leika: Thanks a lot. I'll probably be twisting the story more and more to make it longer, but that will have to depend on the circumstances. Anyhow, thanks so much for reviewing. I really appreciate it. J

Maemi: Yep, I'm continuing. Thanks!

Chapter Nine

            He didn't know what made him agree. Maybe he was feeling slightly dizzy after hearing her chatter off about her 'plan'. Maybe it was the heat getting to him. Maybe it was a momentary craziness – whatever. He had absolutely no idea. But he did know he was already regretting it. 

            Standing by the row of lockers with the bell about to ring at any second, he tried to gather his thoughts together. She was clever, he thought helplessly, winding her talk in complicated twists and turns and making it sound like it'd work and having him tag along with it just because he had trouble catching up and had only understood the entire thing when they had sealed the deal. If that was not enough to break down his defenses, she had put in all those hopeful and pleading looks that he was sure could melt the devil himself, plus she kept on carelessly touching him and … - well, what could he do??

            Reminding himself for the umpteenth time that this was for a 'good' cause, he straightened up as the bell rang loudly and students started pouring out of classrooms. The hallway filled with their noisy chitchats. Lockers were being opened and closed and everything was buzzing with activity. He tried to cough, tried to get the lump that stubbornly stayed in between his esophagus out but it wasn't working. 

            From the sea of heads walking about, he caught sight of Akima. She wasn't looking at him, but she was grinning, so she MUST have seen him. _Why am I doing this again?_ He asked himself, pouting. _Why am I sacrificing my dignity and possibly my entire peaceful life again?_

_            To help an innocent victim, _he reassured himself. _Right. Only thing is, the innocent victim at the moment happens to be me. _

            He saw Ika rounding the corner and looked up at heaven. _Somebody help me._

            He straightened even more, put on a cool expression to cover his growing embarrassment, oblivious to the fact that it was the very look that made girls swoon all over his feet. If he was going to make a fool of himself, he decided he might as well make the most of it. _What was the script again??_

            Ika had noticed him standing by her locker – how could she not? He was taller than the locker itself – and that face didn't exactly go around unnoticed. She felt that quick flutter thingie that she always felt when she saw gorgeous guys, and quickly did a mental check on her appearance. Hair? Check. Lips? Check. Cheeks? Check. Check. Check. 

            All right. Everything was in place. 

            Flashing a dazzling smile, she all but did a supermodel sashay up to her locker. He merely glanced for a second and then turned to look at the floor. She told herself that it didn't matter, and in the act of opening her locker, pretended to fumble with her books and dropped them successfully on the floor. "Oh dear!" she fussed, playing the part of D.I.D (damsel in distress!). "My books!"

            On the contrary to her imagination of him rushing to pick her books up like a true gentleman and handing them to her where their fingers would touch and send sparks flying into the sky, he just snorted.

            Oookay, she assured herself. Not to worry. Lots of other tricks.

            He was getting more and more uncomfortable. Sure, he had lots of female fans, but he had never waltzed up to one and attempted to talk. He had every right to be nervous – girls are, after all, very funny and impossible-to-understand creatures. _What's the bloody script? What was it that I'm supposed to say???_

            Ika fell on him after a pretext of struggling to reach the top of her locker. He thought about moving out of her way so she could fall all the way down since she was trying so hard to do just that, but he caught her anyway. "Oh, gee, thanks!" she was blushing. Or at least, he thought she was. She had so much red powder sprinkled over her cheeks that he had trouble seeing the difference. "I'm so clumsy, I know. It's so me." She waved a hand and giggled. "This locker, it's so high, you know? Who on earth could reach it?" Laughing brightly, she eyed him. "Well, you could, of course, being tall and the ace of the basketball team at that…"

            The blank look he was displaying wasn't helping her much. Can't he respond, for heaven's sake??? Can't the guy recognise a suggestive gesture that's practically shoved under his face??

            She tried to remember other flirting techniques. 

            "Are you going home?" There, he had remembered the script. 

            "Me?" she was delighted. It was working! "Oh, no. I was thinking about getting lunch. But I hate to go alone, though, so…" she left it hanging. Even the most idiotic of guys would sense the meaning. 

            "Want company?" Funny, he thought, how the script Akima had set up for him fit everything that was going on. Still, that didn't mean he enjoyed saying it. 

            Ika's eyes brightened like a lit up fire, and she coyly lowered her eyelashes. "Well…" she said gleefully. "If you'd rather spend time with me than practice basketball…" she seemed pleased at the idea, "I really don't mind."

            Reminded of the other activity that he could've been doing other than this, he frowned. But it was barely noticeable since he always looked as if he was frowning anyway. Leading the way, he headed for the canteen, with Ika practically skipping behind him. 

            Hidden behind the bushes that had been primly cut to form a square shape, Akima did a victory dance and looked on at the 'couple' excitedly. She didn't really like the way Ika was acting around Kaede, but hell, he wasn't hers, so she had no right to be jealous. Besides, what else could you expect out of a D.U.L.L? 

            Anyhow – 

            "Plan Get-Ika-to-The-Canteen successful," she murmured, feeling happy for the first time in days. "Now to start on Plan Get-Ika-to-Open-Her-Big-Fat-Mouth."


	10. Plan: Stage 2

Tenth chapter up! (Wow, can't believe it's already this long…) Thanks y'all for reviewing. I just uploaded the previous chapter yesterday and finding NINE reviews waiting today was rather shocking. :D Enjoy this chapter! I'll try to squeeze in the next chapter as soon as I find myself free with nothing to do. Man, don't I make myself sound so busy! (Maybe I should change my name to everythingtodo…)

Frack: Thanks! It's funny how so many of us have at least someone we wish to slap (though hopefully the high and mighty bitches in your school aren't so unbearable)! Thanks for reading my fic!

Silhouette Panther: Thanks. : ) Yeah, I've finished reading ur story. Are u continuing or not???

SLL: Ha ha! You sound as if Ika is some kind of a lizard ("..Yuck! How can he touch her!?"). I suppose he IS nicer to Akima – wouldn't I kill to be in her place… Anyway, continue reading!

Tensaispira: What game??? 

Leika: Gee, you're so imaginative! Really like your idea about the octopus and the leech and the raw egg!! *pictures the scene in her head* And as for Rukawa telling Ika he loves her??? NOOOOOOOOO! And so, to stop you from thinking of such things again, I'm putting up this chapter as quickly as possible!

Tiran: : ) Thank you. I've never really put the entire plan as good evil – but you make sound it cool! You sound so anti-people-who-don't-complete-their-fics!! I really don't want to be in that position, so dun worry! I'll finish this.

Maemi: You'll find out. : ) Let's all see what they do to that wretched whore.

Girl_sport17: Sometimes I wonder myself.

Renei: Thank you!

Chapter 10.

Thinking he couldn't get away without buying something, he bought himself a glass of carrot juice, promising himself that he'd make Akima pay for it. Ika had gotten herself a tiny bowl of salad, for the benefit of her strict diet, she'd told him. "I'm a vegetarian, you know," she helpfully informed. "I love animals. I don't think it's right to slaughter them just so our bellies are full. I'm like, a permanent member of the SACP."

            "SPCA." He corrected unconsciously.

            She faltered slightly. "Oh, yes! Silly of me!" Finishing her salad off and eyeing the burger stall longingly, she cleared her throat and decided a change of conversation would be nice. "So…anything going on in your life lately?"

            _Yeah, _he wanted to say. _A lot is going on, and I don't even know half of it. For example, a week ago, I would have never let myself skip my personal basketball practice even if a bomb was planted in this place. Now, I'm out here doing something so worthless of my time – and all because of what? Because of a girl I barely know whom I'm getting myself involved with for reasons both of us are unaware of. Heck, I don't even know what I'm doing with her. So yeah, that's what's been going on in my life lately. _Instead, he grunted and said nothing.

            "My dad just installed an indoor pool in our mansion." _And I've just bought a killer swimsuit_, she thought silently_._ "Why don't you come by some time and splash around with me?"

            "I don't swim," he lied, looking around. Where the hell is she??

            "You don't have to swim. We can just sit there and … well, the water's hot, you know. We have a water-heater." She waited for his reply.

            "Hmmm…" He saw Akima stepping in, pretending as if she hadn't noticed them. Looking back at Ika, he quickly said: "You know that girl?"

            Ika looked over her shoulder and snorted. "Of course not," she said with aplomb. "I don't really mix with people like her." Miffed that he actually thought she was connected to that Akima, she pushed her empty bowl away.

            "Why not?"

            Why not?, she thought, shocked. What a stupid question to ask. "Why, she's… _poor_." She said it as if it explained everything.

            He raised an eyebrow. "And?"

            She was looking at him as if he was crazy. "And – and…" she sputtered. "And… I mean, just look at the state of her clothes!" She gestured at Akima's uniform, and he found his eyes averting to the skirt. He didn't find anything to complain about, but Ika seemed disgusted. "It's filthy. It looks as if it's been passed down since the dinosaur era."

            Reminding himself of his role, he quickly nodded. "I suppose you're right."

            "And she is always walking around as if she owns the world," Ika continued and he had to admit, she had a point there. "Why she thought she deserved to walk freely around strikes me dumb. I mean, her mother is MY maid," she made sure that was clear. "Instead of treating me the way the daughter of a maid should, she's strutting around as if we're…," she struggled to describe it, " as if we're … _equals_." 

            He didn't know whether to cry in disgust or laugh in amusement. "I see."

            Encouraged, Ika hurried on. "Can you believe that she actually once slapped me??" she said it with such rage that he had to struggle to hold back a tiny smile. "Not once, but TWICE. Like, who the hell does she think she is? I'm the one who's helping her get food on her table, and THIS is how she shows her appreciation??"

            Nodding understandingly, he said: "Rude, ungrateful brat, isn't she?" From the corner of his eyes, he could see Akima inching close enough to hear the conversation. Suddenly enthusiastic, he continued: "She seems selfish to me. Bad-tempered too. A mouth that's too clever for her own good." He saw Akima's eyes narrow and watch her stomp away.

            "That is so true," Ika confirmed. Then, smiling proudly, she bent down and whispered to him, "But I've paid her back." Grinning mysteriously, she waited for him to press on.

            "Really?" he said carefully.

            "Yep. Fired her mother." She seemed to like the memory.

            "Yeah," he tried not to sound too interested. "I've heard of that. She was stealing from you, I think."

            Ika chuckled. "Actually, she was just holding my necklace. I saw it as a good opportunity and reported it to my dad. That woman was out of my house and out of her job in merely seconds."

            He didn't say anything, his blue eyes darkening_._

"Of course, that wasn't enough," Ika rambled on, apparently very pleased with herself. "She still seemed bloody happy. So I accused her." She made little delighted sounds. "I placed my purse in her bag and then had the headmaster spot check it and walla! Caught!" she laughed. 

            He pressed his lips tightly together. "Clever," he said shortly. 

            "She deserved it," Ika said simply. "I mean, she's just outrageous, you know? Shamelessly pining after you like you'd even notice her in the first place."

            His eyebrows raised. "What?"

            "Can you believe that she actually had the nerve to dream about having you?" Ika huffed. "That birdbrain really doesn't know her place. Watching you practice like some loony no-brainer."

            He was still stuck at her first sentence. "She… dreams about having me?" 

            Sliding her elbow across until it touched his, Ika assured him. "But of course we all know that she's not really your type. I mean, you are from the Rukawa family, high atop the society pyramid like mine is. We both know whom we are suitable for…" 

            He tried to absorb it, pondered on it for a while. "I … have to go."

            "Oh." Disappointed, she pouted. It had been nice talking to him, and she was making good progress. "We should do this more often."

            His brain a mess of thoughts, he said the last of his script, "That idea – the one you pulled on that girl… it's really good. If I were you, I'd do it again."

            Ika grinned.

Pls Review!


	11. Failure

Eleventh! *starts counting her fingers to see if she got it right* Thanks again for reviewing!

Frack: now that you've mentioned it, Rukawa IS ooc… *sweats* I have to admit, it's pretty hard to keep him to his ice block character especially when ur writing romance about him… hmmm, let's just say this is a slight change of behavioural pattern due to … um, due to hormonal imbalance that most teenagers face! And let's just say he's really, really naïve, or he really doesn't take notice of his fans that he can barely spot one under his nose, or … I've run out of ideas. Sorry!

Tiran: Thanks. You sound so delighted (SO EVIL!! RUKAWA IS SOOOO EVIL, CAUSE OF THE EVIL PLAN!!) :P

Tensaispira: Sorry that you injured your…??? (what part of the body did you injure??). Keep on reading!

Joy: Relax – I'm not going to cut your head off if you don't review… *rethinks it* no, maybe I will… *starts thinking brutal thoughts* ANYWAY, this chapter is here, so enjoy!

Maemi: hi! I tried to review your fanfic, but I didn't login and was kicked out of the review box. T_T. I'll do it now, if you don't mind: I really like it! I have NEVER seen such a complicated plot and love twists. I'll read it for new updates as soon as I finish uploading this chap!

Nellie: At least you reviewed!! : D

Leika: Not to worry. I like your imagination. Maybe you should let it run wild and tell me about it so I can steal some ideas! Ha ha ha! (sorry, just kidding)

Girl_sport17: Thanks! This chapter will surprise you even more. Was I hard on my brother? Well, if you've met my brother, you wouldn't think so! (Kidding). Thanks for reviewing!

Poetic Phoenix: THAT was a LOOOOOOOONG review. I was checking the review page, and I saw this looong essay and I was like: Hah?? Still, thank you so very much for taking the time to do so! And I am REALLY, REALLY pleased that you imagined it was you! That was rather the whole purpose of this fic – so you can put yourself in the character's shoes. : ) Hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 11.

Akima smiled, calmly watching from a distance as Ika crept up to her bag which she had left right by her locker. Once a fool, she thought, always a fool.

            Patiently quiet, she barely blinked when Ika took out one of her expensive watches and bracelets and slipped them into the bag. Ika was being very careful, looking around every split second to watch out for people. Akima had to admit, Ika was rather good at being a criminal. That should make her father's upturned nose even prouder than it already is.

            Looking victorious and pleased, Ika straightened up and acting convincingly as if nothing had happened, she sauntered off to her next class, which she was already fifteen-minutes late for, having to wait for everyone to clear the place before she could commit the deed. If it worked, and Ika was sure it would, Miss Akima Hanashi would find herself kicked out of school and left to beg for leftovers by the sidewalk. Let's see how she handles that!

            Almost giggling, Ika pushed open the door to her classroom and stepped in.

            Almost giggling too, Akima hit the 'STOP' button on the camcorder.

            The headmaster watched it for the sixth time.

            Waiting patiently in the seat across him, Akima glanced around the neat room and rows and rows of bookshelves lined up against the wall. She was in the midst of counting all the books when the headmaster swivelled around in his chair and sighed at his desk.

            She waited expectantly.

            "Akima…" he finally said, taking his thick glasses off and rubbing his fingers over his temples. Then, turning to the intercom, he abruptly pressed a button and told the young secretary to go and get Ms. Kirani. 

            Akima almost laughed in triumph.

            The headmaster then looked at her again, as if contemplating what to do with her. "Akima…" he said, as if he didn't know what else to say other than her name. "I don't know how to interpret this but –" 

            "There's nothing to interpret, sir," Akima shrugged, suddenly feeling uneasy. "What you saw truly happened, and we both know what it means."

            He didn't seem to want to agree with her.

            Growing frustrated, Akima jerked around when the door slammed open and an irate Ika Kirani stepped in. When Ika saw her, her eyes widened and she looked confused. "What is it?" she asked rudely, directing the question to Akima.

            Akima glared. 

            "Ms. Kirani," the headmaster said slowly. "Ms. Hanashi here has something that you might want to see."

            "I don't want to see anything this pathetic girl has," Ika snapped even as the video sprang to life on the TV screen. "She has nothing but –" She was silenced by the scene playing in front of her. "WHAT??"

            "Caught on candid camera," Akima murmured brightly.

            Obviously aware of what had happened and what was happening now, Ika snarled. "You piece of cow dung!" she started yelling. "Why, I'll make sure you never – "

            "SILENCE!" the headmaster screeched. "Ms. Kirani, I do not appreciate you screaming in my office. Let's settle this in a calm manner." He leaned back against his chair. "I need you to tell me the truth."

            "The video's a lie!" Ika boomed. "It's a lie! It's a lie!"

            "Then what where you doing, fooling around with Ms. Hanashi's bag and putting your belongings in it?" 

            Ika faltered, lost for words. "I…" she sputtered. "What does it matter?? If I say it's a lie, then it's a lie!"

            Akima got to her feet. "Who's lying, horse-face? Who accused who?" Producing a tape-recorder out of nowhere, she hissed: "Since you practically have no brain, you probably don't remember. Here's a reminder." She pushed the PLAY button and the conversation between Ika and Kaede yesterday filled the room. 

            "… She still seemed bloody happy. So I accused her. I placed my purse in her bag and then had the headmaster spot-check it and walla! Caught!…"

            Ika had turned beet-red in both anger and embarrassment. "Lies! All lies!"

            "As stupid as you are, I'm sure you'd recognize your own voice," Akima snapped, "or do I have to remind you about that too??"

            The headmaster cleared his throat. "Ms. Kirani," he started. "I think this confirms where you stand in this case." Ika glowered at him. "Please don't do this again. You can go now."

            Ika gritted her teeth as Akima looked at the headmaster in disbelief. "I want both tapes," she demanded, pointing at the videocassette and the audiocassette which Akima held protectively with her.

            "What?" Akima exclaimed. "Not on your life!"

            "Give it to her, Akima," the headmaster told her, sighing some more. When Akima stared at him blankly, he held his own hands out and took the tapes from her. Giving the tapes over to Ika, he said: "You can go now, Ms. Kirani."

            Akima whirled on the headmaster as Ika made her escape. "Aren't you going to punish her?" she asked wildly. "Are you just going to let her go like that? What about those tapes? You know she's going to destroy it! Why did you give it to her??"

            The headmaster sighed again. Once again, he rubbed his temples as if a headache was coming around. "Akima," he said it almost impatiently. "You must understand that Mr. Kirani is one of the main sponsors and donors for the school. I cannot mar his daughter's reputation and risk losing him. The school has a lot of activities planned and we need the financial support."

            She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Can't mar their reputation…" she repeated, as if in a trance. She didn't know whether to beat her head up against the wooden desk or wail like a crazy asylum member. "But what about MY reputation??" she demanded. "Don't you care even the slightest for what I've suffered through? Doesn't it matter to you that I've been unfairly treated and that people will keep on thinking I'm a thief?"

            The headmaster's lips thinned. "Does your mother sponsor the school?" he shot back. 

            Akima flinched at the abusive question. "No –"

            "Has she donated a single cent to the school's needs?"

            "No, but –"

            "End of this argument." The look he gave silenced her. "I will apologise by taking back your punishment of three days of suspension. You can come to school as usual. You may go now. Have a good day."

            She gawked at him. 

            He sighed again. "I'm sure you understand, Akima. The school depends a lot on the Kirani family. Now please go."

            At the dismissal, Akima grabbed her bag up, fought the tears back – all the while cursing her way-too-sensitive eyes – and headed for the door. Pausing by the door with a hand on the handle, she turned back to the headmaster. 

            "Yes, I do understand that Mr. Kirani's money plays a big part in the school's bank," she said bitterly. "But what I don't understand is why because of money, some people can't even afford to be human."

            With that, she wrenched the door open and left.

Review! What do you think she should do??


	12. Conversation

12th chapter! *grins* Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the rather late update :P Hope you like this chap – and thank you for all the wicked ideas you all gave me (which all had the common theme = butcher Ika and feed her to the cannibals)!!!

Renei: Hi! Thanks for taking the time to read this. If I could make Rukawa kick Ika out, I would – but hey, he's only a student (and not a very brilliant one at that too). Anyway, sorry because I won't be e-mailing you for this update – I'm actually rushing for time. Sorry, but I promise I'll try to e-mail you for the later updates, ok? : )

Tensaispira: I can actually imagine you prancing about cursing Ika while reading this story. *pictures it again in her mind* Hope u like this!

Poetic Pheonix: Thank u so much for the review – it must've cost u some effort and time. Do you review like that in EVERY story?? I can't imagine what your hands would feel like if you, say, read an average of five fics at one go *imagines a distorted hand and twisted fingers* It's really good that you ignore those people who make ur life a living hell. I must say I've experienced the same thing – I think we all do. It doesn't really matter anymore what ppl think of you as you grow older. : ) And yes, I have friends who spend as if money pour down from the sky. It makes me go blue in horror when they do that – because I'm a big saver-don't-waste-even-an-inch-of-that-tissue-paper-or-I'll-make-sure-you-burn-in-hell kind of  a person. I'm still trying to find a way to get the romance started but I can't for my life think of how Rukawa would go around it. Let's just see what this pink organ I have in my head can come up with. BTW, the "humph" wasn't meant to be funny, so it's OK if you didn't laugh (if you did, I would've been wondering why). It's just because Akima gave a sarcastic reply and it was pretty obvious that she was going home, so Rukawa's kind of like: I knew it. Coward.

          Get it?? It's kind of like when you see Ika approaching Rukawa, and she does this really stupid thing to get his attention and you go: Humph! How typical.

       I like ur idea VERY much. I never really thought about adding anymore Slam Dunk characters because then the story would grow LONGER and it'll NEVER finish – but let's see what circumstances lead me. : ) (PS: I like all the aces of every team too – except Maki. And Jin IS cute) Thanks for sharing that little Marco story. What's with the guy? He should be FLATTERED. Good thing u got over him. Maybe you should throw the PS controller at his face too??

Joy: Heh heh, you sound afraid! Muahahaha! Thanks for expressing your anger towards the headmaster – I really like it when other people hate characters that I myself hate and SHOW it!! Keep on reading!!

Zackire : Thank you! Let's see what else she says about him ;P

Tiran: You okay??? Thanks for reviewing (and fainting!)

Girl_sport17: Man, you really love brothers. I love mine too, but it's TRADITION NOT TO SHOW IT!! Thanks for reading! I'm glad the last chapter touched you in some way. : )

Mistress of darkness: Why'd u think I named the title Poor You for?? :P Hope u like this chapter (and all the other chapters to come)

Maemi: I should make that the theme of this story, you know? 'The Unfairness Of Life'. Sorry, all my literature classes is getting to my head. 

Nayomi-chan: Thanks! I really liked that fic you wrote – though I would've liked it better if it was for me! (Kidding) Fujima – girl??? Well, at least he's not gonna be gay – just lesbians!! Stay glued to the story!

Leika: *grins* Thanks for volunteering your ideas – I'll consult u if I need anything!! BTW, what makes you think it's going to be lemon?? I'll probably make it into apple or grape or orange. 

Nellie: Well, believe it!

SLL: Quick update ur story – it's really cool, especially the kissing part (heh heh) *starts guffawing on the floor* Continue it!!

Twelfth chapter. 

            "Hey."

            Akima looked up and placed a small smile on her face. "Hmm." It was him, sweaty and damp from his practice, standing by the soda machine and poking money inside the narrow slots.

            He turned back to push one of the many buttons and waited for the can to fall. "You've got that look on your face again," he mumbled without looking at her. "What happened?"

            "Everybody's a bastard from hell." She said simply and not without spite.

 "And so is this machine." Impatient, he punched the side of the machine and it vomited a cold can of ice lemon. "What happened?" he asked again as he bent to retrieve it.

            She stretched out her hands helplessly and sighed. "You don't want to know," she told him. "It's a long and frustrating story."

            Opening the can with little force, he sipped. "I'm practicing," he informed, as if his clothes weren't enough proof. "Come into the gym and tell me." With that, he turned and left her to follow.

            Deciding there was nothing more to lose, she relented and went after him. He was, after all, the other half of the crime, and she thought he had the right to know. Taking the usual spot, she watched him do a shot and then started the storytelling, right from A to Z. Her voice heated up and died down as she spoke to match her anger and disappointment, but he didn't show any sign of emotion, though his eyes widened a bit at the headmaster's reaction. He miraculously sent successful shots while listening, and sometimes Akima found herself distracted and straying away from the subject matter whenever the ball went through the hoop.

            "Are you even listening?" she demanded once.

            "Of course," he replied, sending yet another ball through the empty air.

            She found it difficult to believe him, but continued on anyway. "So that's that," she ended on a dying tone, as if all the hopes in the world had disappeared. "Plan backfired. Evidence destroyed. Back to zero. Nice ending, eh?"

            Oblivious to her disappointment, his first thought was: _Too bad. Carrot juice wasted for nothing. _Reminded of the carrot juice, he turned to tell her to pay for it. But then something stopped him.

            She was looking blankly at the wall across her, eyes slightly downcast, shoulders slumped with an expression that cut straight through the heart. Sighing very deeply, she shifted into another depressed position. "That's the way it is, isn't it?" she said suddenly. "The rich always win over the poor."

            Categorised in the rich level, he felt uneasy tugs of guilt. He stopped shooting, only dribbled the ball around.

            "This is like in feudal times," she lapsed into History talk. "I mean, you'd think after about 4 centuries, things would've changed, but it's still the same. You have money, then you can do whatever you want – have land, be in the parliament, kick the King's butt off his throne even. But if you don't, then you can't even defend yourself when you get trampled on – which is most of the time." She sighed again. "I feel like a serf."

            He had no idea what she was talking about or which chapter of the book that speech belonged to (as far as he was concerned, History classes are for sleeping), but he thought he caught her meaning and felt it. 

            "I never liked money," she continued, starting to talk to herself unconsciously. "I didn't like the fact that you need it. But it's really important, isn't it? You're nothing without it, are you?" 

            "Not necessarily." He offered, gearing up again for another long shot.

            She watched the ball go in and then turned to look at him. "What's important to you, Kaede?"

            It only took him a second to think. "Basketball. Being the no.1 player."

            She'd expected nothing else. 

            He did two more shots. "What about you?"

            "Hmm?" surprised that he asked, she blinked. "Me? Um, well… the usual, really. Happiness, family…" she listed, and then smiled wryly. "Survival." Shifting again, she looked up at the high ceiling. "I don't have either of those three."

            "Hmm?"

            At the questioning grunt, she looked down on the floor. "My life's in the pit. Am I happy? No, I'm not happy. Do I have a family? My family broke up years ago. I don't have any close relatives. So no, I don't have a family. I don't have money either. And in the next four months, if things don't get better, I won't even have a home."

            "Survival," he summed up quietly.

            "Yep," she said with an ironic smile. "Survival."

            He did a few more shots, pretended to go against invisible defenders. She watched, as she usually did, fascinated and impressed. "Basketball," she said all of a sudden, "it's a beautiful game, isn't it?"

            He was tempted to say: _Duh_ but managed to refrain himself.

            "I don't know much about it," she admitted, a little shamefully. She could almost see the disapproving crease on his smooth forehead. "But it's nice." She finished lamely. 

            He focused on the hoop. "Do you want to?" He sent the ball.

            "What?"

            "Know about it. Do you want to?"

            "I – I suppose so," she answered awkwardly. "But it's a little too late for me to be good at it. Still… I'd like to know. So yeah, I want to."

            He looked at her from afar. Ever since Ika had bluntly told him of Akima's crush on him, he couldn't get it out of his mind. It was stupid, really, to wonder if it was true and looking for telltale signs. But he was doing it. 

            It was very hard to confirm. She was acting abnormally. From his far and wide experience, when a girl likes you, she'd drop on your feet for an autograph and scream and primp up at the very sight of you. She'd jump into skirts with your name printed on it and cheer you to death. THAT'S when you know whether a girl likes you or not. (author's note: I know this is a narrow way of looking at his fans – I mean, not ALL jump around in skirts with pom poms, but let's just say those are the only ones he notices, and therefore, due to his narrow way of thinking, he concludes that all girls are supposed to be like that. OK?)

            But she was doing neither one. She NEVER so much as cheered for him. Heck, she doesn't even come for the games. She doesn't fuss about her looks around him and doesn't even have a single alphabet of his name on any of her clothes – except for the letter 'K' on the school badge (Shohoku).

            How was he to tell???

            She was growing hot under his intense gaze. The depressing incident in the headmaster's room was gone from her memory. If she didn't take action and escape now, the blood boiling under her cheeks would explode out. She reached for her bag, stood up and made up an excuse that explained she had a night shift to work for.

            The slightest of frowns appeared on his face, but he didn't say anything.

            She was halfway through the door when he called her. Looking back and blushing all over again, she lifted an eyebrow in an attempt to act nonchalant. "Yes?"

            "Come to the game," he had stopped practicing and was focusing all of his attention on her. "This Saturday."      She felt little bubbles of excitement. He was asking her! Did that mean anything? Did it? Did it? She'd always wanted to go watch one. She'd concluded that if he was so good during practice, he must be a hell of a lot better on court – and wouldn't that be a something to see? Still, something always stood in her way. "I can't," she said, disappointment obvious on her face. "I have to work."

            He frowned. "Do you work 24 hours a day?"

            The sparks of anger he was sending at her surprised her. _No,_ she thought dully, _it didn't mean anything. _"No. Just weekends. And certain weeknights."

            He grunted. "When's your shift?"

            Furious at the rude grunt she'd gotten from him, she snapped: "Not that it's any of your business, but it's in the morning."

            "The game's in the afternoon."

            "Oh. That's nice."

            _Damn her,_ he cursed her silently. "Coming or not?" he demanded.

            "Yes. No. I don't know." Frustrated, she raked a hand through her hair. "Why are you getting mad anyway?"

            He straightened. "I'm not mad."

            _Right, _she thought sarcastically, _and I'm not human either. _"If I'm there, then I'm there. If I'm not, then I'm not."

            He glared at her, unsatisfied. "Fine."

            Feeling she didn't deserve that, she glared back. "You know, if you keep on glaring at me like that, then I definitely am not coming."

            He glared harder. "Fine."

            She seethed. "Or maybe I WILL come and throw rotten eggs at you."

            "Fine."

            Akima decided she was right earlier on. EVERYBODY was a bastard from Hell. Storming out of the gym, she made oaths about not stepping into any game in the world. However, five metres away, she was already counting the hours and figuring the means of transportation to get there.

            He watched her go, his teeth gritted and grinding against one another. _That girl better be there by the sidelines on Saturday_, he told himself. _And WITHOUT rotten eggs._

            Why, though?

            Why did it matter so much if she was there or not?

            Sensing confusion, he quickly pushed it out of his mind – only to be replaced by something else. Images of Akima started to play in his head. He understood, of course, that she was disappointed that their plan didn't work as they would've liked it to. But it had all been fun revenge as far as he was concerned. Something to show – what's her name again? – Ika that she wasn't going to get her way without a fight.

            He was all for fighting.

            But somehow, now that he thought about it, it seemed to go deeper than that. Perhaps Akima's struggle wasn't with Ika alone. Maybe she's up against life itself. 

            Happiness. Family. Survival.

            She sounded so serious.

            Well, now things are probably going to go back to the way it was. There wouldn't be any reason for them to have further contact. He'd continue practicing daily and she'd continue watching – unless Ika and the gang showed up, he supposed. She was going to go on working at the stupid restaurant in that uniform. He didn't like that idea, for some reason. And he didn't like the fact that after his interference and efforts, nothing has changed at all.

             _I can't do anything else about Ika,_ he silently said. _But maybe there are some things I can fix for you, Akima._

Review!!


	13. Shock

Hi! Firstly, a huge apology for the undeniably late update. I went to Japan on a Homestay programme for nine days and it was SO COOL!!! *starts dreaming and thinking of Japan and foster family* Anyway, it's here now, and it's extra long – hopefully it'll make up for the delay. : ) I took some of the ideas that you all gave me (dozens of thank yous for that!). Let's see what you think of it. : )

Mistress of darkness: Thanks! I was hoping you'd like it.

Maemi: I suppose he does. But then again, wasn't that the purpose of the whole story?? To make him like her???

Zackire: Thanks :D I agree about the hot part (who wouldn't?) and also the cold part, but ruthless? He's ruthless??

Tokiya_kitsune: I think I know you. You've reviewed before, haven't you? You changed your name, didn't you?? *gets all confused* Darn, I don't know! Are you KKA? Sorry if I'm wrong! 

               : Hi. You didn't submit your name, so I dunno what to call you. Sorry! Thanks a lot. That was very nice of you. : )

girl_sport17: We'll see what happens. ;P I'd like him to realise it to and GET ON WITH IT, but he's not that kind of a guy, is he? I mean, he's not going to drop down on his knees and confess his love even if he knows it, is he? Rukawa is such a hard character to write romances on. Sheesh!

Tensaispira: *imagines you in a ballet class in a purple leotard doing Pirouettes and then falls down laughing with chocolate spraying out of her mouth* Ha ha ha!

Leika: No, I won't tell you what apple or grape or orange is *evil laugh*. Why? Because I dunno myself. Heh heh. Rukawa has a soul eh? Didn't notice that!

Renei: Thanks! Rukawa is supposed to be dumb, isn't he?? Did I overdo it?? Anyway, keep on reading!

Joy: You have a happy lovelife. He he. Can't you just get it on instead of having to wait for him to wave at you???

Nayomi-chan: Keep on wondering, girl!

Patty G: Thanks! Read on!

SLL: Rukawa IS DUMB. I can't help it!! *evil laugh* And about your friend – play a trick or something to make them get together. I do that on my friends a lot. : )

Joyce Rukawa: Nice analysis. You should be a psychologist or something. And yes, you're absolutely right, although I never expected anyone to bother summarising it in such a perfect way. You hit the mark. : ) And yes, I CAN believe you're going out of your mind. Heh heh. I haven't read ur story yet, but I will! 

Lastly, enjoy this chapter!

Thirteenth chapter.

             She was in the toilet doing what people usually do in toilets when the end-of-recess-bell rang. Sighing, she splashed water over her face and headed for her next class. Passing by the office, she lifted an eyebrow in surprise at the sight of the headmaster all but down on one knee begging to a familiar tall guy.

            Curious, she stopped and watched. 

            "Please talk to your parents, Kaede," the headmaster was saying, sweat dripping from his face. "I'm sure we can talk this out."

            Kaede rubbed his eyes and shrugged. 

            That didn't help the headmaster much. "I'll do anything," he quickly said. "Please tell them to reconsider. I'm sure Akima herself wouldn't agree to this."

            At having her name mentioned, her ears pricked up and she listened harder. The headmaster rambled on some more but was abruptly stopped when Kaede yawned and said: "Sir, I have a class."

            The headmaster seemed out of sorts. "Oh," he mumbled reluctantly, looking as if he'd lock himself and Kaede in if he could. "All right. You can go then. But please! Do talk to your parents!"

            Kaede answered him by slamming the door shut.

            Outside, Akima hurried to catch up with his long strides and confront him. "What was that all about?"

            Eyebrows up, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing here?"

            "Never mind that," she hissed impatiently. "What was going on?"

            He shrugged. "Nothing."

He started to go, but she caught him by the arm. "It's about me, isn't it?" she asked cautiously and a little anxiously. "Did I get you involved? Are you in trouble? I'm really sorry-"

"I said it was nothing."

She glared, refusing to let him go.

"Miss," he said in the same tone he had used with the headmaster. "I have a class."

"Big deal," she snapped. "You're just going to sleep anyway. You better tell me what's going on, or I'll …" she frantically tried to come up with an effective threat. "Never mind. Just tell me."

He sighed, trying hard to look angry that she was making him miss a class. "Nothing," he said again. "My parents just called the headmaster. That's all."

"Your parents? What on earth for?"

"Adult stuff. None of your business."

Changing tactics, she softened her voice. "I need to know, Kaede," she murmured. "I know I'm involved somewhere and I need to know. I want to be sure that I'm not being used again."

His eyes hardened. "My family does not use people," he said icily. "You might want to keep that in mind." He tried to shove her hand that held his arm away, but she stubbornly held on. Hissing, and glaring for all his eyes were worth, he muttered, "Well, if you must know, my parents called to inform the school that they are pulling out of the sponsor committee."

"Why?"

"Because they found out about what happened."

"What happened?" she asked, puzzled. 

He sighed impatiently. "The accusations against you, idiot."

She was staring with her mouth hanging open. "W-What??"

"My mom said there was no way she was giving money to a school that can't even see between white and black." He quoted, proud but struggling to hide it.

Her head was spinning. "Is that why the headmaster …"

"Well, if the Kirani family is financially important to the school, you can say the Rukawa family is at par," he shrugged, glancing at his watch. Twenty minutes of History gone, he cheered silently. Putting on an irritated face, he said: "I'm late for class."

"I don't believe this," she had clutched her cheeks and was staring at the wall as if she could see through it. "How can your family do that?"

"By using the technology of phones." He yawned again. "It's quite a big loss for the school, so that should teach the headmaster to sort his priorities out." He looked at her and was surprised at her reaction. "You don't seem pleased."

"It's scandalous!" she exclaimed. "You didn't have to do that! It was just a little fight…"

"My parents didn't do it for you," he snorted. "They were doing it 'cause it's right."

She seemed speechless. Then – "Wait a minute. How did your parents find out about me and Ika???"

He coughed, turning slightly blue, and said nothing.

"You TOLD THEM??" she started swearing. "You &%*@^()$)!! What else???! What else did you tell them???"

He was taken aback by the sudden flare of temper. "I didn't tell them. They just … found out." In reflex action, he protected his face with his arms from the punch she was delivering.

"So they have super powers," her voice rose into a high note. She was all but spitting at him. "You pity me, don't you? That's why you're helping me and all that stuff. I thought you were just being nice, but that's not it, was it? You helped me because you thought I'm stupid and helpless, didn't you? You think I need you to do everything for me because I apparently can't take care of myself, don't you?" She poked him in the chest – hard. "Well, you can stop it. I don't need your pity. I don't need anybody's pity. You and your family can start sponsoring the school again – or buy the school itself – for all that I care."

He grabbed her hands to stop her from punching his chest. "I told you," he snapped. "We didn't do this for you. We're doing this because it's the right thing to do."

She glared at him. "Well, that's nice. Thanks a lot, Confucius." Yanking her hands away from him, she turned on her heels and stalked away.

He watched her go, baffled. That's quite a show of appreciation. If that got her punching and spitting, he wouldn't want to know her reaction when she got home later on.

She was positively livid. "WHAT????!"

Her mother beamed at her. "Isn't that good news??" she asked cheerfully. "I never dreamed it would happen."

"They – they hired you??" she was having trouble controlling her emotions. "The Rukawa family hired you??"

"Yes! Mrs. Rukawa herself walked into the shop this afternoon. She's a very nice woman. She said she knew about you, and then offered me a job as their maid," smiling, her mother bent down and kissed her on the head. "The pay is excellent, and I have you to thank for."

_This is not happening_, Akima assured herself. _I'm being disillusioned. I –_ "She also said something about how horrible things are for you," her mother said all of a sudden. "What did that mean, Akima? Are you having trouble in school? Why didn't you tell me?"

"No. I'm not in trouble." _But someone else is_, she thought darkly.

"You hired my mother."

He glanced in surprise at the figure standing in the doorway of the gym.

Akima.

Her legs were apart, feet firmly on the ground and fists clenching and unclenching in preparation. Her face was indescribable. He stopped dribbling and stiffly held the ball between his palms. "I didn't. My mother did."

"Was that for her beliefs too?" she demanded. "Was that because it's the right thing to do too?"

He clenched his jaw. "What's your problem, Akima?"

"Look into the mirror and you'll know." She hissed, stepping inside. "When you get home, tell your mother to stop being nice. Tell her to leave my mom where she is, which is behind the shop counter. And tell her that things are not horrible for me at all."

"She's only trying to help."

"Thank you," she said, deceivingly sweet. Then, in a blink of an eye, her expression changed. "She can stop."

"We can give your mother a good salary," he said defensively between gritted teeth. "And we won't fall for cheap tricks. I'm not going to go around telling my mother you stole my necklace."

"That's because you don't have one," she spat. "There is no way I'm going to take your money, Kaede Rukawa, so sod off with that good salary."

His fingers were digging into the ball in anger. "You're just too damn proud."

She glared. "What a startling discovery. Here's something else you can discover about me: I can make my own bread and butter, thank you very much." 

"How?" he demanded. "By working at odd hours and dressing like a porn star??"

Her face turned red in both anger and embarrassment. "Yes," she said with aplomb, matching his temper. "As long as it doesn't have anything to do with you." She stomped away, blood still boiling at all corners of her body. 

He was tempted, for a moment, to go after her and wring that stiff and proud neck. Then he had an idea of making use of the ball in his hand and sending it hurtling for her big head. Instead, he geared up and made a violent shot that shook the entire basket stand. 

_Let's see how well you do at not having anything to do with me,_ he thought grimly.

Long, wasn't it? Well, hope u liked it! 


	14. The Rukawa Residence

14th chapter! I dunno why I keep announcing the number of the chapters – but never mind! As usual, enjoy this! : )

Mistress of darkness: Was it a cliff hanger? *ponders on it* BTW, Thanks a lot!

Zackire: Ha ha! You're right (Battle of the sexes). Thanks for reviewing. : )

Leika: Sorry! It seems that I can only update once a week. Plus, I'm having exams next next week and I honestly have not touched a single topic (except Archimedes' Theory). I like ur review! U sound really passionate! Ha ha! 

Frack: Yeah, it is rather hard to imagine Rukawa being nice. I really regret the fact that Rukawa's like, really OOC by now, but I don't think there's anything I can do about it. Sorry. : )

Silhouette Panther: Hi. Just read your Domineering fic – liked it a lot. Didn't review though, cuz I wasn't signed in. But I will! BTW, what was Ayako doing with Ryota on that night N-way??? Thanks. I didn't notice Rukawa was OOC until several ppl started mentioning it! Sorry about that. 

Nayomi-chan: u don't have to force urself to read my fic if you're sleepy, you know. Now I feel guilty for your lack of sleep! Yeah, when I made Akima up, I planned for her to be proud with an ego the size of the universe! *evil laugh* Heh heh. Maybe it's cuz I'm proud myself! I'm glad you can relate to her situation! : ) BTW, yeah, I'm not including any other SD characters. It's cuz I'm afraid the story will get much more complex and long that I'll never get around to finish it. Hope you understand. : )

Maemi: Yo back to you! Thanks for taking the trouble to review my fic. Let's see if you like this chapter. : )

Nellie: Yep, you're right! Pride and ego! Akima's loaded with that, isn't she?

Tensaispira: Why were u in the hospital??? You okay?? My trip was great – missed my foster family a LOT. : )

SLL: I dunno how to answer those questions. Maybe she's just blind? Read on!

Mimi: Hi! You're a new one. Yeah, I totally agree with you about annoying yaoi fics – but there ARE some that's good. Maybe you just haven't found one. Thanks for ur review. And if you don't mind me asking, what's Hana Yori Dango? Is it an anime? 

Renei: What, you hate Rukawa or something?? Thanks for reviewing!

Naohmee: Thanks : ) *am hugely flattered but struggling to hide it* Ha ha! I wish I didn't make Rukawa change THAT drastically but *lifts her hands up and shrugs* What to do?? I didn't know my fic was suspenseful! Ha ha! Thanks for telling me!

Shadow of Solitude: hey, cool nickname. Sounds something like Rukawa would do! ;P Thanks for reviewing! Glad you like the story. No need to charm me with puppy dog eyes – I'm continuing. : )

Joy: I'm thinking maybe I should turn Rukawa back into the cold, icy guy that he was… Anyway, good luck for your finals! I'm having mine too!

Enjoy!

14th chapter

            Akima was cursing ripely. 

            "Don't be silly," her mother sighed exasperatedly. "You're acting like a selfish three-year-old. Now stop saying all those foul words – God knows where you learnt them from – and ring the doorbell."

            "No," she shook her head stubbornly. "Mom, there is no way I am going to even step a foot into –" Rubbing her wrinkling forehead and looking up at heaven, Mrs. Hanashi elbowed her daughter aside and pressed the doorbell – or to be precise, the gate bell – herself.

            _Shit_, Akima cursed.

            From inside the Rukawa residence, they could hear a woman clearly screaming at someone. "Kaede, stop shooting balls and see who's at the gate, will you??" rang out the annoyed order. "For all you know, it's your grandmother – and you know she hates to be kept waiting."

            Akima turned visibly pale. _Double shit_. 

            Before she could think of jumping into the drain which happened to be the only hiding place at the moment, he emerged from the lawn all sweaty and damp with a controller in his hand and a ball in the other. His eyes grew slightly wide at the sight of her mother, and even wider at the sight of her. 

            Groaning inwardly, she could practically feel her ego being poked with a needle and reducing in size rapidly. Oh man, why, why, why? Why do these things happen to her??

            "Hi there!" Oblivious that her daughter was shrinking in both embarrassment and mortification, Mrs. Hanashi waved her arm at the strikingly good-looking boy. "You must be Kaede. Hello! I'm Mrs. Hanashi, your soon-to-be maid. Your mother invited me over for a chat and a little get-to-know."

            _That's right,_ Akima thought sulkily, looking at her mother. _Mrs. Rukawa invited YOU for a little chat. She wanted to get to know YOU. Why on earth was I dragged along???_

            Unable to come up with anything to say, he nodded in acknowledgement.

            At that very moment, his mother came out, dressed in a huge apron with little bunnies on it. "Kaede, who is it?"

            He looked back at his mother standing by the doorway. "Well, it's not grandma."

            His mother rolled her eyes. "Can't you be more specific? Honestly, Kaede, if you think I can read people's mind, I –" she stopped, expression changing into what could be described as ecstatic. "Akiko!"

            Mrs. Hanashi in return said: "Rikaru! Hi! We're here!"

            Akima surmised that since their mothers were already calling each other by their first names, they must've been fast friends the moment they met. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

            "Come in!" Mrs. Rukawa hurried out in apron and bunny-slippers. "What are you waiting outside for?"

            Kaede pressed one of the buttons on the controller he was holding and the gate swung open. Both Hanashis walked in, although the younger one did so with great reluctance.

            The moment they came close enough, the two women started chatting about everything, ranging from the weather to fish market as they walked into the house. Unable to penetrate through that conversation and feeling more than a little left out, Akima stayed outside with some wild ideas of climbing over the gate and running away. 

            He was looking at her, she could sense it. And just as acutely, she could sense his thoughts and amusement. Who wouldn't be amused? She had come spitting to him about not wanting his help, and yet here she was, in his lawn.

            "I didn't come here willingly," she said with aplomb, daring herself to finally look up and challenge the stare he was giving her. 

            He snorted. "Hmm."

            Her cheeks were burning at the mere humiliation of the situation. "It's my mother. She really wants this job, for reasons no decent human can think of."

            "Hmm."

            "She was stubborn. I couldn't persuade her to forget about it, hard as I try."

            "Hmm."

            "This doesn't mean I'm happy about it. As a matter of fact, I detest it."

            "Hmm."

            Irritated, she threw her hands in the air. "Can you stop 'hmm'ing and speak in a language that's understandable to mankind??" she demanded. "And take that superior look off your face. There's no need to bask in my humiliation just because I was dragged here out of my will."

            The look he gave told her he was doing just that. Dismissing the issue, he turned. "Come in." Tossing the ball aside, he led her into the kitchen where their mothers were baking muffins together.

            Mrs. Rukawa wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled when they came in. "Ah, so this is Akima." She walked around the counter to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Nice to finally get to meet you. Kaede's talked a lot about you."

            Miffed, he whipped his head up defensively. "I did not."

            "Well, it was certainly more than two sentences."

            Akima decided she wouldn't want to know exactly what Kaede said about her. She wouldn't be surprised if it leaned more towards the negative side. He wasn't exactly the complimenting type.

            When the muffins were done, once again the two women flitted off to another section of the house. Taking one of the freshly baked muffins, he offered it to Akima. "Eat it," he said, at the same time, popping one into his mouth. "Unless you still insist on making your own bread and butter."

            It seemed that her humiliation was not going to end. Struggling to keep herself from jumping up and taking one of the knives that stood gleaming on the kitchen counter and stab him, she said, "I'm not hungry."

            He shrugged, almost sneered at her evasive answer. Finishing his third muffin, he straightened. "I'm going to practice. You can stay here or come with me." He waited.

            From somewhere in the house, Akima could hear her mother laughing and praising something with enthusiasm. If she estimated it right, it would take her mother approximately an hour to finally remember she had a daughter waiting somewhere. She looked back at Kaede, and wondered how, even in the midst of her anger and annoyance for him, she still found him outrageously appealing. Then again, she'd always thought he was attractive. "I'll come with you."

            Without a change of expression, he brought her outside where a basketball hoop stood a clear 8 feet off the ground. She had only taken three steps out when a sudden barking – loud and furious – exploded out of nowhere and jerked her senses. Looking around in alarm, she saw a dog the size of a bicycle running towards her, jaws wide open with saliva dripping from it.

            Terror struck, and she was brought back to the time when she was four and an equally big hound had chased her down and bitten her leg.

            She heard herself scream and the next thing she knew, she was running aimlessly. 

            Kaede watched in amazement as his dog, MJ (named after Michael Jordan) chased after Akima. MJ was just fooling around, he could tell, since he was the owner of the highly ferocious animal. But why on earth was Akima running as if Hell was after her?

            Akima ran around the large lawn crazy with mad ideas of being eaten alive. She saw a tree up ahead, and did what she never did after she turned seven. She climbed up the tree.

            MJ, thinking it was some sort of a game, circled the base of the tree, barking madly and jumping in a vain attempt to reach her. Shaking and shivering, Akima held fast to the tree and closed her eyes.

            "Sit, MJ," came the almost lazy command. The dog whined, but sat on his hunches obediently. Looking up at the tree where Akima was steadfastly hugging the tree, Kaede called out to her. "What are you doing up there?"

            She opened her eyes, forced herself to look down. "G-Get him away from me," she said in a pathetic voice, still struggling to calm herself. "Take him away."

            "It's just a dog."

            "I don't care! Get him away from me!"

            In a rather barbarian way, he was enjoying it. Gone was the stubborn and proud I-don't-need-anyone side of her. Right this very minute, she was helpless and she clearly needed him. He liked it. "Why should I? I thought someone here said she didn't want to have anything to do with me."

            "Take him away!" tears were crashing down her cheeks now. MJ, thinking she as calling him, leaped up and started barking all over again. She screamed and her grip on the tree trunk tightened till her nails were digging into it. "Take him away! Take him away!"

            Shocked at the way she was shaking and the terror visible in her eyes, he grabbed hold of MJ's collar and gently kicked the dog out of the way. "Shoo, MJ! Bad dog! Go back to your kennel!" MJ barked on, but after another kick, he sulkily went away.

            "You can come down now," he called out to her.

            She stared at him with a tear-streaked face. "W-Where is he?" she asked uncertainly, sobbing, her heartbeats still a little faster than normal. 

            "Gone. Away. Now, come down."

            She closed her eyes again, told herself over and over again that it was okay. Then, slowly, she climbed down. On the lowest branch, she looked around cautiously and carefully lowered herself to the ground. The dog was really gone. 

            "You okay?"

            Rubbing her hands together to get rid of the wood debris stuck to her nails, she nodded awkwardly. Hastily, she removed the tearstains from her cheeks with the sleeves of her shirt. She was still shaking, but the fear was slowly fading. "I'll be okay. I'll be fine." She took a deep breath, and that's when embarrassment stepped in. "Sorry. I – I have a phobia against dogs. Big ones." Her hands were cold. "Thank you for chasing the beast away."

            "That beast is MJ." Since she was still trembling, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "And he's not a beast. He's a canine dog."

            "Right. Right." She murmured distractedly. 

            From his kennel at the far end of the lawn, MJ barked again. Jolted, Akima released a scream and without thinking, grabbed hold of Kaede and clung to him for dear life. "Get him away! Get him away!"

            Her face was buried in his chest, making her head look smaller compared to his broad upper body. He found it strangely charming. "He's in his kennel."

            Turning around, but still keeping a firm grip of his shirt in her hands, she surveyed the area. MJ was indeed safely in his kennel, barking just for the fun of it. _You're too jumpy_, she scolded herself. _Relax, damn it._

            She turned back to Kaede, thinking she'd say something apologetic for her behaviour when the way he was looking at her stopped her. "You need me," he murmured. "You're just too blind to see that."

Before she could say, "What??", he'd leaned down and captured her lips in his.

            It lasted barely more than two seconds, but it seemed like a long time. When he pulled back, both were staring at each other in utter shock. Stuttering, she struggled to get words out. "What was that for?"


	15. Returned

Fifteenth chapter!! I have a feeling this story is going to get really long. I dunno if that's good or not. Anyhow, I hope you don't mind if this story like, expands up to more than twenty chapters. Sorry! I know some ppl don't like long stories – I'm one of them! (Unless the story is good)

Tokiya_kitsune: Yeaaaa! Got it right! *congratulates herself and gets all puffed up* Heh heh. Why you changed your name? What does KKA stands for, BTW?? Hope you like this chapter!

Leviathen: Hullo! Thanks a lot for reviewing!

Nellie: (coincidentally, I am listening to Nellie's 'Hot in Here'). Hope your doubt clears soon!

SLL: Hey, first time someone said Akima was cute! Ha ha ha! Anyway, thanks a lot. I didn't notice the reviews had gone over a hundred until you mentioned it. : ) Unbelievable. *tears starts rolling down her cheeks as she recites her thank-you speech that goes on and on and on and puts Gwyneth Paltrow's speech at the Oscars to shame*. Read on!

Joy: Why are you drawing Chili? *tries to recall the last time she drew something that resembled a vegetable* BTW, enjoy the story!

Rukawa Joycie: You know something? I really like you. (no hentai thoughts!!). I'm even thinking of handing this story down to you and see the things you come up with!!  Ha ha! I really like your version –and I swear, if I had seen it before I updated, I would've posted that one up!! Don't worry about writing long reviews. Plz don't think you HAVE to do it, because you don't have to if you don't want to. I hope I'm not pressurizing you into writing long reviews, am I? *gets worried and scratches her leg where a stupid mosquito had bitten her* 

             That scar of yours must be troublesome. Is it ok now? I've got a friend who got into an accident with a dog (she was on a motorcycle and the dog suddenly dashed out of nowhere and caused her mother who was driving the motorcycle to swerve to the side). She had nasty cuts all over her body and you can see the meat underneath her skin and all. My other friend and I got crazy, took a telescope and zoomed in into her scar. It looked like small blueberries in a bunch. Ha ha ha!  Yeah, I know, I'm a sick person. BTW, the scar is still there.

            And hey! You wrote another version of your POV!! Thanks! But I'm not planning on the mothers finding out yet – sorry. And spoilers: It's not a dream. And it's not the basketball game either – sorry again, I know you wanted me to get it to it! Maybe in the next two chapters?      

Shadow of Solitude: Thanks! Read on!

Tiran: Thanks a lot! Hope u like this one!

Renei: Hana yori dango sounds great! Man, how come I didn't know about it??? Thanks for explaining it to me! Anyway, if you were asking whether Rukawa Joycie and I knew each other as in whether we're friends since kindergarten and we go to the same school, then the answer's no. We have never met each other. But I do know her now, and I guess I'm glad about that! Ha ha! And I didn't post her version cause I did not read her review yet when I posted the chapter. (this is to Rukawa Joycie: I'm guessing you're reading this because you were so anxious about what I'm going to tell Renei. I'm right, aren't I? Ha ha ha!)

Tensaispira: Thanks! It's your fav cause they kissed right?? Ha ha!

Mimi: Thanks for telling me about Hana Yori Dango. Right now, I'm surfing to find info about it! My anime knowledge is rather embarrassing *blush*. Heh heh. I only know Doraemon, Cardcaptor, Inuyasha, Spirit, Ayashi no ceres, You're Under Arrest, Ah my goddess and of course, Slam Dunk!! Hope to hear more from you too. : )

Miss Univerz: Thanks for loving my fic! : ) *am so touched that eyes get watery* I really appreciate it!

Silhouette Panther: For a moment there you sound like Sakuragi. : D Ha ha! Anyway, thanks! Keep on reading!

Maemi: *struggles to write because she is too busy laughing at your review* Hope the mental hospital discharged you in time for this chapter!!

Nayomi-chan: Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. : )

Sakura Riu: Hi! Thanks a lot!  Am continuing!

Girl_sport 17: Wow. You actually understood my way of thinking!!! *gets all excited* Actually, yeah, that was the way I wanted it to be. Not exactly like a phobia, but she does hate it when she becomes someone else's maid's daughter cuz she believes everyone's just the same as Ika when put into that situation. Man, you described it better than I did here. Anyway, don't feel obliged to review. Makes me feel guilty when you have to go out of your way for something as petty as this – well, it does matter to me, but it is rather troublesome for readers. : )

Leika: Relax! You did NOT sound like a bitch from hell. I think it's very uplifting that someone wants to read the next chapter of my fic quickly. That means they like it! Ha ha! As for Rukawa shoving a muffin down Akima's throat, I should've thought of that!! Ha ha! But still, I'm sure his mom would kill him for that. I don't think Rukawa can catch Akima (I dunno how heavy she is, but Rukawa's rather skinny, isn't he? Can he do it?? Heh heh! I like that idea very much! Maybe I can make another climb-the-tree-and-then-fall-into-Rukawa's-arms scene!) And I'm so glad I made your day. Hopefully, this chapter will make your day too. : )

Mistress of darkness: Study hard! (that reminds me, I have to study too!)

Aoitsuki: I dunno. Wait and see. : )

Naohmee: Read on! (I wish I had a bf like Rukawa in this fic too!)

Reiko: Thanks! I thought Rukawa was way OOC… but never mind!  I like Akima too!

BTW, before you get to the story, I wanted to tell you that a few days ago, I went to my friend's house and got chased by her dog – so like what Akima experienced – only, I didn't exactly climb up a tree. It was so scary! I don't have dogphobia, but when I saw those jaws, I went crazy. Ran all over my friend's house, screaming like a lunatic. That dog almost got me once, but my friend rescued me just in time by doing this Charlie's Angels' jump. That's all I wanted to tell – thought it was funny that it should happen to me – scared me to death too! Sorry for wasting your time : ). Read on!

Fifteenth chapter!

            "Akima, lamppost." 

            Blinking back to earth, she narrowly avoided a collision with the sturdy, black source of light. Her mother looked on in dismay and shook her head. "What's the matter with you?" she asked. "Your head's in the clouds ever since we left Rikaru's house – that's Mrs. Rukawa's house for you."

            "Right." She agreed absently, rubbing a hand over her face, and quickly stepped to the side before she walked headlong into the rubbish bin by the roadside.

            Her mother made disapproving sounds. "Are you sick?"

            "Yes… no …– what did you say?"

            Mrs. Hanashi kept the sigh in check. She decided sighing wasn't even worth it. "Never mind. Forget it."

            Akima struggled to keep her vision of the road clearly in her head, but it didn't seem possible. For heaven's sake, she'd just been kissed – and by _him, to make matters even more of a big deal. What can you expect? That she'd recover from it as if it was one of every day happenings and walk off whistling???_

            Neither of them had walked of whistling – or smiling even. She clearly remembered his reaction.

[Flashback]

            "What was that for?"               

            The look on his face was one of blank astonishment. "Damn if I know." He stepped back cautiously, and at a great distance, and next thing she knew, he'd picked a ball up and with his eyes still a little wild, he'd walked off to the mini-court at the back of his house, leaving her alone.

[End of flashback]

            Akima had to admit that at that very moment, all her romantic fantasies had crashed down to the underground. For a rather stupid moment, she thought he'd actually PURPOSEFULLY done what he did. That he had actually felt something for her and the need to make some kind of physical contact with each other.

            _But no, she thought, wincing, __by the look on his face, it was probably a mistake. Then, in a sudden fury – __Still, he could've apologised! Grabbing me like that and then saying: "Damn if I know"! I'll damn him, all right, whether he knew or not. Stupid idiot. Saying I need him! Puh-leez. What makes him think my life revolves around him? It doesn't. OF COURSE it doesn't. Sure, I have a crush on him – no use denying – but he's not my EVERYTHING. Something, yes, but not everything. I can very well survive without him. I mean, the dog? I'm sure if I had been given time to calm down, I could have taken that stupid animal on. Seriously, I –_

            At the sound of a car screeching to an abrupt stop, Akima instinctively leaped to the side. Stabilizing herself, she heard her mother screaming curses at the sleek, posh car in bright red that had stopped right beside them, and spared a moment to direct a thought to her mother: _And you were wondering where I learnt all those foul words from.  _

            "What were you thinking, you son of a b****!" Her mother was on full swing. "You almost killed my daughter! Why, you should be sent into jail and sacrificed over a blazing fire! What if you had run her down??"

            The shaded window of the car rumbled and slipped down. "I wouldn't have run her down," came the slow, rumbling voice. "She's my daughter too."

            Akima bent down to see a boy sitting in the passenger's seat, clearly startled, and a man in the driver's seat, way into his fifties, looking back at her. Eyes widening, an audible gasp escaped her throat. 

            "Dad!"

            He was still practicing – if you can call staring at the hoop practicing. 

            He'd suspected he was getting loony ever since he got on rather friendly terms with that Akima, but now he was SURE he'd gone way past loony. He was probably already in the crazy stage and heading for Lunatic City. 

            Shit.

            He tossed the ball and watched it go into the hoop. 

            At least he could still shoot goals.

            Sitting down and staring at the hoop all over again, he settled into his thoughts – something he rarely takes the trouble to do. That incident – he couldn't find any other words to describe it – was accidental – it had to be! He certainly didn't plan on doing it, neither did it ever cross his mind. The only explanation he could come up with was that his hands and mouth had nothing better to do.

            Right.

            If only that explanation didn't sound as stupid as it really is.

            He was feeling uneasy. He didn't like these analysing sessions on self and feelings and such. He'd always thought human beings should have never been given emotions. It complicated things unnecessarily. If everybody could live without mixing emotions into life, things would be so much easier – for him, that is.

            He was willing to admit that he liked Akima – even though she was incredibly flawed with an unimaginable ego to go with those flaws. Yes, he liked looking at her. Yes, at times – when they weren't too busy snapping each other's heads off – he enjoyed her company. Yes, he even wanted her to be there in his games. 

            He had never wanted anybody to come to his games before.

            It just didn't matter then.

             Yes, he admitted and decided that this was the hardest one to admit – she mattered to him. For unknown reasons, she did and there was no helping it. Hell, if you could just kick someone in and out of your heart like you swap a fly, he'd have done it ages ago.

            He didn't want her to matter.

            She had no right to be in his mind and thoughts and … well, his heart.

            She had no reason to be there.

            _Sometimes, a quiet voice of wisdom sounded at some point in his cerebral cortex, __there are simply no reasons for something. _

             _But I kissed her. There should be a reason for something so unnatural._

_I don't know. Maybe the reason is because you're a pervert.._

            _Yeah, yeah. Shut up. _

            Deciding he'd better pay his attentions to the upcoming game against Ryonan, he stood up and started to warm up. He had to beat a certain someone there, and he won't be able to do it by lazing on his butt. 

            _Wonder what she's doing now…_

HeH                                                                        HeHHHHH


	16. Hey, Dad Hey bro

Sixteenth chap! Anyway, I'd just like to tell you about my updating system: My current lifestyle at the moment only allows me to update ONCE a week. I know that's an awfully long time, but I can't help it. Gomen!! Usually, I'll update during the weekend, so that should make it easier for you to know when to check for new updates. : ) Hope you understand and bear with me… *fingers crossed*

Shinomori : I dunno when that arrogant b*****d will get off his high horse. Why don't you help him by kicking his ass off that animal??  Ha ha! Me glad you like my little ficcie. And yeah, I'm all for girls with girl power! 

Frack : OK, let's compromise. Kaede loves Akima and me and you. : ) Ha ha! You can change the sequence of that if you like!! Knowing Rukawa, is he ever going to make a move??? 

SLL: *looks at starry eyed sLL* Hello?? Hello??

Tiran: Next chapter dished up! Hope your brain can take it!! Ha ha!

Naohmee: : ) Who's to say if he's a pervert or not?? Really? Akima's mom's like you? As in, you both curse a lot?? Ha ha ha! BTW, I'm glad you like her. : ) I think you're one of the first to proclaim that. And YES, I think you're starting to become a lunatic!! Why don't you join Maemi (she's in the mental hospital after banging her head after reading one of the chapters of this story)?? (joking)

Yoriko: Hi! Thanks for liking or loving my fic!! : D!!! I won't be bringing ika up for some time, so save your energy and your fist. You can punch her when I'm finished with her. *heh heh* Thanks for the good luck – I need that for my science subjects! (today, Physics totally sucked – what's half of Fx???)

Miss Univerz: Arigato! Enjoy this chappie!

Sakura: Wonder no more! The chapter's here!!

Maemi: Hey! Glad your jail guards are understanding ppl!! How's it going?? You've probably guessed who the boy is, but you won't tell me cuz you're afraid you're wrong, right??? Ok, tell you what, at the end of this fic, why don't you tell me if your guess was correct or not?? PS: I won't be e-mailing you for this update – sorry! I have no time! I need sleep! Exams! Additional Mathematics!! Chemistry! Biology!! *starts banging her head like Maemi did*

Phoe2K: Alloooo to you too! Thanks! Someone's actually keeping track of my chapters!! Am so flattered!!! Ha ha! I seriously did not know hana yori dango existed. I still haven't found websites about it – I'm such a hopeless searcher. BTW, enjoy the story! PS: Sorry, I can't update every day. I wish I could, though! Still, thanks for asking!

Tensaispira: I knew it! It's becuz they kissed!! Ha ha! Next chapter's here!

Joy: I salute your patience with chili. If it had been me drawing chilis for half a year, I would've lost my mind, brought bags of chillis to school and stuff them down my Arts teacher's throat. Let's see if she dares mention chillis after that!!!! *evil laugh* *slaps herself and turns normal* Enjoy this chap!!

Leika: Hey, your reviews are getting longer and longer! You trying to rival Rukawa Joycie?? (joking!) You've read a Rukawa lemon? I've read some, but they're usually too unrealistic. Why don't you recommend me some?? *starts thinking dirty thoughts* Ehem. Ha ha ha! *slaps herself again and blames today's Physics paper for this unnatural behaviour* BTW, I really love it when you express your feelings to the characters (or Rukawa, to be specific!!), even though you're hurtling curses from all directions! Ha ha!! Not many ppl take the trouble to get personal with the characters, and I'm glad you're taking the trouble. : )

Reiko: YOU DARE FALL IN LOVE WITH RUKAWA?? *grows ten times bigger and glowers at Reiko* *once again slaps herself and goes back to ordinary nothingtodo* : ) Thanks for the compliment. My butt grew about ten inches and I had to get new pants. Ha ha! Hey, what's your story about?? Maybe you can alert me when you're done?? BTW, you called my fic a LIT!!!! (you meant Literature, rite??). OK, it probably didn't mean anything, but it made me happy anyway!! Ha ha!

Goodbye: Hey, why'd you nickname yourself goodbye? Made me sad for reasons unknown. ??? Thank you so much for telling me your POV. I love it a lot, and yes, you are so right!! Maybe she'll think he's taunting her!! (I really appreciate you taking the time to understand my characters! *tears start flowing* Man, I'm an embarrassment to the world).

Rukawa Joycie: Poor thing. I had that experience a dozen of time. Had one just yesterday, in fact, while I was e-mailing a friend of mine. I didn't write up to nine pages – just a couple of paragraphs – but I accidentally deleted it and it still made me so angry that I had to cause a rampage in the room. :P Take your time reviewing, no rush. : ) And I like surprises. Ooh! Wonder what it is!!! And that idea of yours about sending me your versions is the COOLEST. I'd really like to know how you would've done this fic had it been yours. : ) Thanks for taking the trouble to do that. I can't begin to think what reviewing my fic is costing you!!

           You know SoS?? That's so cool. In fanfiction.net, only two writers I know in person. Sorry that I forgot your name!! Gomen! Gomen! I'm a scatter brained, in case you haven't noticed. Sorry again! And yeah, I noticed right after you mentioned it that ppl are writing longer reviews. I also dunno why. Maybe they wanna rival you or something?? Ha ha!

Fiery Ice: Hey!! Thanks a lot. I really appreciate you taking the trouble to read my long fic because for us ppl who hate long stories, it's quite a hard task! Ha ha! I dunno where I get my ideas from – most probably from the pink organ in my head. : ) Ha ha! Nah, sometimes ideas just hit you even when you're doing something as boring as hanging your wet clothes outside. (Honestly, I hate that chore). And I love replying to the readers. You ppl are so much fun. : ) BTW, enjoy this chapter!

Sixteenth chapter.

            Mrs. Hanashi eyed her ex-husband coolly. "What are you doing here?"

            In a warmer and enthusiastic tone, Akima echoed: "When did you get here?"

            The lanky man unfolded himself from the car seat and stood up, winking at his daughter. "A week ago. Didn't you know? I sent a letter ages ago telling you about my transfer."

            "Letter? No, I didn't…" Akima glanced at her mother, who glared at her. 

            Understanding the situation, Mr. Hanashi shrugged uncomfortably and quickly changed the topic. "Never mind. It's so nice to see you again, sweetie pie. How long has it been, seven years?"

            "Her name is Akima," Mrs. Hanashi hissed. "It's not sweetie pie."

            Mr. Hanashi's eyes heated up, but quickly cooled down. "I know. I was the one who named her." He quickly turned his attention to Akima again. "Anyway, you've grown a lot since the last picture of you that I received. Especially around this area," naughtily, he gestured at his chest.

            Unable to help it, Akima burst laughing. "Dad, please."

            Annoyed that father and daughter were laughing along even with the seven years that separated them, Mrs. Hanashi stepped in. "So, Mizano, I heard you're getting married again." The tone was unpleasant.

            "Marry?" Akima repeated, her tone almost matching her mother's. "What??"

            Mr. Hanashi coughed, willing himself to stay calm and sensible and to not mind the emotional abuse the woman he once loved – and still does, in a way – was throwing at him. "You heard right."

            The deepest of frown lines appeared on both mother and daughter's foreheads. Thrown off-balance by the startling announcement and the resentment that her mother hadn't bothered to tell her anything, Akima gritted her teeth. "Why?" she demanded. "Who?? When?? Why??"

            "I'll explain, sweetie – I mean, Akima," Mr. Hanashi said rather nervously, throwing a glance at his ex-wife who had veins popping out of her forehead in anger. "Why not go for dinner with me?"

            "You can dream about that!" Furious, Mrs. Hanashi practically swung her handbag at him. "There is no way she is going with you. Don't you even dare take her away from me! You think you can just step back into her life after seven years??"

            "Listen, Akiko," unable to control his temper anymore, he stepped around the car and confronted his ex-wife. "I have always been part of her life. You're the one who's been standing between us. Now if you'll just stop being selfish, I think Akima has a right to choose who she wants to go with."

            Akima cursed violently. Great, now they were going to put it all on her and make her feel guilty. "Okay, tell you what, let's not have dinner outside. Dad, you can come home with us and I'll cook dinner. We'll talk."

            "I don't think so!" Mrs. Hanashi objected. "I am not letting him come in the house, Akima, you hear that?? Now," grabbing her daughter by the arm, she pulled, "now we'll go home."

            Akima resisted, standing firm. "Mom," she said soothingly, thinking it was the only way to get through her mother's wrath. "Dad's just come back. I'd like to have some time with him."

            Mrs. Hanashi's eyes all but popped out. "I don't want you to!"

            "But I want to."

            Her mother stared at her for a while. Then, turning beet-red, she released Akima's arm. "All right, fine. That's just fine." Whirling around, she stomped away, her movements mirroring her anger. 

            Akima watched her mother ago, and for an instant, thought of running after her and begging for forgiveness. Then her father placed a warm, strong hand on her shoulder and she turned around to face him. "I'm sorry, sweetie - Akima – I mean –"

            She smiled vaguely. "You can call me sweetie pie. I don't mind."

            Her father looked relieved. "Thank you," he said appreciatively. "I've always called you sweetie-pie, ever since you were born. Calling you by name sounds so… formal – as if you're not my daughter." Changing moods, he gave her a peck on the cheek. "I've been gone for so long. There's so much I've missed. How are you?"

            "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm hungry. And we need to talk. No reference to my chest growth, please."

            Her father laughed. "Come on." He turned to head for the car, suddenly slapped his forehead and whirled back on Akima. "How could I forget?? Sweetie pie, I forgot to introduce you to my soon-to-be stepson. Come out, son."

            The previous boy who had stayed glued to the seat in the car watching with intense concentration at the drama unfolding in front of him now emerged from the car. He was tall – taller than Kaede, she estimated – with the same blue eyes, only his were fuller with life and warmth. Then, in a gesture so like her father, he winked at her. "Hi."

            "Yeah, hi." He was the son of the woman her father was about to marry. Akima wasn't sure exactly what she felt about him. Her muscles grew tense, for reasons she didn't know. 

            Her father's chuckle burst through the tension gathering in her brain. Casually, her father draped an arm across the boy's shoulder (he was just as tall) and rubbed his head affectionately. "This is Akira. Akira Sendoh."

            Now Akima knew what she felt. Jealousy oozed out from every part of her body, and without realising it, she was gripping her hand. She had never gotten that gesture before, and she felt hurt that a boy who wasn't even officially his stepson yet would get the privilege.

            _Relax. Your dad's just returned. This is the first time he's seen you in person since seven years ago. It's natural for things to be awkward between you. She calmed down a little bit. __Oh, God, I wish Dad would mess up my hair like that too. How come he's never wrapped an arm around MY shoulder? Why is he standing beside that boy? Why isn't he standing beside me?_

            "Why don't you tell Akira your name, Akima?" her father asked.

            Akima managed a smile. "You just said it, dad."

            Her father looked at her blankly, then recalling what he had said, he burst into easy laughter. "Akima, Akira … that's so close." Again, he patted the boy on his shoulder. "Must be fate, son."

            Akira flashed a smile. "Yeah."

            "Yeah," Akima echoed weakly. 

            "All right!" her father said enthusiastically. "Let's go for dinner!"

You saw that coming, didn't you? : D  Lots of people kept asking me about other characters – so I thought: What the heck, I'll do it. So here he is. Had a long debate on who he'd be, and finally Sendoh won my vote. : ) Can't help liking that guy. Anyway, hope it's OK. 


	17. Missing pieces

Seventeeth chap! 

Joy: Yep, it's Sendoh! :D Thanks. 

Nayomi_chan: Relax. The story probably has more u-turns coming up. (actually, I dunno. I haven't decided yet) And yeah, I can just imagine Akima going: "Rukawa, your worst rival is my stepbrother" and him strangling both her and Sendoh!!!

Tiran: Yay! I'm glad I chose the right character. Thanks so much!

Frack: Er… you okay? You dun like Sendoh?? *stares at Frack nervously*

Maemi: so you were right after all! Ha ha! Congrats. I am v. proud of you. :D Enjoy!

Leika: Hey, I don't mind long reviews, so don't stop! So you realised the foreshadowing of Sendoh's entrance into the story…you are very observant. : ) and thanks for the good luck, but my Physics paper was HORRIBLE. *starts bawling at the memory of scratching head during the paper*

Yoriko: *watches emphatically as yorika beats Mr. Hanashi up* Hope you'll be the one to pay for his hospital bills. : ) Glad you love the story. ^__^

Fantasy_gurl: Thanks! Were my replies too long? Sorry! I was having a ball of a time retorting bad jokes to the reviews made… I can't help it … *looks at fantasy_gurl from under her lashes guiltily* Sorry again. I'll try to keep it short and the story longer. : )

Eliar: Hi! Newbie alert! Hope you'll keep on reading.

Silhouette Panther: Yeah, I know how u feel about SenRu. : ) I rather like the combination myself, though I don't agree with yaoi. (Still, doesn't mean I can't enjoy it, rite??). Enjoy this chap!

SLL: I never knew Ika meant cuttlefish. I have a friend named Ika (but she's NOT like this Ika in the story), but we call her pompang (it's a name for a kind of fish trap) (dun ask why we call her that) But I do know Kaede means 'maple leaf'. Rukawa means 'flowing river'. *sigh* what a beautiful name… anyway, enjoy this chappie!

Tensaispira: you didn't see it coming?? Yay! At least one of you is caught off guard! Ha ha! Next chapter served, maam!

Choco_no_baka: You know, the way you started the review by bashing yourself alarmed me a bit. Thanks for reading this. And nah, you don't 'tok' too much. : ) BTW, what do you mean 'never doubt my sincerity'?? Where did that come from???

Girl_sport: Glad you agreed. : ) And yes, just think of all the possibilities!

016: It's here! Wait no more!

Patty g.: Nah, Sendoh won't make a fuss. Relax. The last chapter wasn't a cliffhanger! It was not! Your blood shouldn't be boiling! 

Sakura Rui: Breathe in, breathe out. : ) Is it going to be a love triangle?? Sendoh IS her stepbrother you know. BTW, glad you agree with Sendoh's insertion to the story!

Reika Zelon: Thanks! : ) Confrontation? Wait and see…

Reiko: are you the same person as Reika Zelon?? 

Seventeenth chapter

            "This a nice place," her father mused as they stepped inside the roadside restaurant. "But why did you bring us here, Akima?"

            "I work here." Smiling at the familiar bells ringing off as orders were screamed around the room, she led them to an empty table. 

            Her father was frowning when they were comfortably seated. "Working? Why on earth are you working? Aren't you still schooling?"

            "Part-time," Akima explained. "We had – uh … some problems some time ago," Her father had that look on his face. Quickly, she said: "But everything's fine now. Um, tell you what, I'll go get the order for us myself."

            Just as she was about to get up, a waitress swung by. "Hey, Akima. Hello, sir. Hi, handsome," she purred, winking at Akira. "What would the three of you like?"

            After reciting the orders for confirmation, the waitress (aged around 20) winked again at Akira before turning to Akima. "Hey, you free tomorrow night?" she asked. "We need some extra hands around here. Boss says tourists coming around."

            She might as well have said: "Hey, you free tomorrow night? Let's elope," because Mr. Hanashi had jumped up, furious. "How could you ask a schoolgirl to work at night?" he boomed, much to the waitress' surprise. "Do you know how dangerous it is??"

            "Why, sir –"

            "Dad," Akima quickly pushed the waitress away. "Sorry, Mira. I'll think about it."

            "What do you mean you'll think about it?" her father demanded as the waitress all but sprinted away. "It's bad enough you're working, but working AT NIGHT!! How could your mother ever allow this to happen??"

            Akima sighed, almost smiling when Akira pretended to be busy studying the pattern on the table. "It's nothing, Dad. It's not like I work here every night. Just sometimes." Yeah, like every fortnight qualifies as sometimes. "So, why did you move back here?"

            Her father grunted at the obvious attempt to change the subject, but decided to go along with it. No use picking a fight with his daughter just minutes after meeting her. "My company decided to place a branch here, and I jumped for the spot. Thought it'd be nice to come back here and see you." 

            "So you're staying here for good?"

            "For the foreseeable future, yes."

            Akima copied her father's grin. "That's good. It's about time." She paused. "Why are you getting married again?" she blurted.

            Her father coughed uncomfortably. Sensing the awkwardness, Akira took his eyes off the table. "I have to go to the loo. Excuse me." And with a charming smile, he left the table. 

            Akima appreciated that gesture, and thought maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

            "My friend," her father started, staring down at the table with utmost concentration and avoiding her eyes. "She's this notorious matchmaker, see? Anyway, she decided to play a prank and match-make me with one of her friends over here. That's how I met Risako. She's a widow with one son – that's Akira. We became fast friends, and then … it got further… and now that I'm moving back here, we decided to get married." Nervously, he looked up, like a boy afraid of being scolded by his mother. Akima's face was expressionless. "When you meet her, you'll like her. I guarantee it."

            "Yeah." Akima murmured, looking down at her stiff fingers. 

            Silence.

            "So… does this mean you're never getting back with Mom?"

            Her father breathed deeply. "Akima," he said softly, carefully. "Your mother and I were through the day she threw me out of her house and her life."

            "But it was such a stupid fight!" Akima burst out, hot tears rushing to her eyes. "I mean, you fought over a bottle of ketchup! Who on earth fights over ketchup??" Her hands flew out to grab tissues from the tissue box. 

            Mr. Hanashi reached out and took one of those trembling hands. "It started over ketchup, yes, but it was not _about ketchup. Akima, throughout the years that your mother and I were together, we have been having problems. Small, unsolved problems that piled up and exploded on one unfortunate day. And on that day, it dawned on us that we couldn't be with each other anymore." He stroked her damp cheeks. "I still love your mother, in some ways, but –"_

            "You don't want to live under the same roof together again." She finished. Akima pressed her hands to her face. "And all these years, I was hoping that the both of you would come to your senses and get back together and then we'll be a normal, loving family…" she drifted off.

            "I'm sorry –"

            "No, I'm sorry, Dad. I guess I got carried away with childish hopes." She sniffed, looking out the glassy window of the restaurant that she had cleaned just last week. "It's just that Mom never changed her surname – she kept yours – and I thought she still loved you. And I thought that's a good sign – maybe you feel the same way and maybe things will work out..." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "But you don't."

            "I'm sorry that I disappointed you, sweetie pie." Her father said earnestly. "I cannot help my feelings. You don't want me to pretend that I still have deep feelings for your mother, do you?"

            "No, it'd be unfair for her … and you. And me."

            "I love you to death, sweetie pie, and I'd do anything for you if it's in my power to do so. But getting back with your mother will only hurt all of us. You understand, don't you?"

            "Yeah…" Akima nodded. "I guess I do." She was calm now, and back in control of herself. "Sorry for screaming at you. I didn't mean to. And sorry for crying like a baby. I hate it when I cry in public."

            Her father grinned. "You got that from me, girl. I hate blubbering in public too."

            "I didn't blubber."

            "Why, of course."

            Akima glared at her father, who in turn smiled sheepishly at her. Charmed, she couldn't help but smile back, and that's when the tears returned. "Oh God, I love you, Dad. I missed you so much."         

            "Same here." Both stared at each other emotionally. 

            Then – 

            "He's going to cry." Akira leaned over Akima's chair and grinned. "Just look at him." Jolted over his silent return and marvelling at his sense of timing, Akima laughed.

            "Akira, sit." Mr. Hanashi said with aplomb, quickly blinking away any evidence.

            "Aww, Dad. You're blushing like a seduced virgin."  

            "Akira! Sit!"

            The tension vanished as all three laughed and settled themselves with their hot meals. Easier with each other now, the conversation flowed easily. "My previous exams were all right." Akima informed, digging her chopsticks in between the sticky noodles. 

            "How all right is 'all right'?"

            "Six As, two Bs." Akima revealed fretfully. "Sorry dad, but your daughter is never going to be good in Mathematics and Physics."

            Her father chuckled. "That's okay. This father of yours used to flunk those two subjects too – and a few other subjects as well, come to think of it." Making a face, he stuck his tongue out. "Sorry, Akima, but your father was never good in studies." Then, elbowing Akira, he winked. "Akira's quite good in mathematics, I think."

            Akira wrinkled his nose. "Nah. I got a B too."

            Then, when Mr. Hanashi wasn't looking, he mouthed: _Actually, I got a C. _

            Akima struggled furiously to keep her face straight. She mouthed back: _Actually, I have three Bs. But I won't tell if you don't._

            He nodded, a look of utter seriousness on his face. _Deal._

            "What year are you in, Akima?" her father asked, cutting their read-my-lips conversation short. 

            "Year 2."

            "Really? I thought you were Akira's age."

            "Year 3," Akira supplied at Akima's questioning glance. "That makes me older than you, little girl."

            "I would never have guessed it."

            They sneered companionably at each other. "What school do you go to?" she asked. 

            "Ryonan High. Heard of it?"

            "Maybe. Once or twice."

            "That's surprising," her father mumbled, mouth full of crabmeat. "Ryonan's famous in the sports arena."

            "I'm not into sports, Dad."

            "You're not?" Akira looked scandalized. "You're missing out a lot, little girl. Sports are fantastic. And basketball is the best among it all."

            "Basketball." That reminded of her some things. "Yeah, I've seen it." A lot of times. "It's really cool." Especially with a player like… "But I don't know much about it."

            Akira looked pained. "I'll make sure you do. Come to the game."

            Akima raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You play basketball??"

            Mr. Hanashi snorted before Akira could reply. "_Play??" he scoffed. "Sweetie pie, he's the CAPTAIN of the basketball team."_

            "Oh." Akima stared at Akira. "Wow."

            "There's nothing wow about it," he shrugged. "it's hard work."

            "I bet." Akima murmured.

            "Come, will you?" 

            "Huh? What? Where?"

            "We're having our first game of the season tomorrow," he told her. "Why don't you come with us? Maybe you can wear those cheerleader outfits and cheer for me? You've got a great butt."

            "WHAT??" leaning over the table, she grabbed his nose and pinched – hard. "I bet you got that from Dad. I am so sure. Both of you are perverts!"

            Ignoring his stepson's yelps, Mr. Hanashi took another shrimp and popped it in his mouth. "That's a good idea, you know," he started. Akima's gaze whipped to him, hot and furious. " – I meant the idea of you coming with us." He said quickly. "I can easily pick you up and we can go together and see Akira play."

            "Okay," she agreed and gave Akira another pinch. "But I'm not coming in any skin-tight outfits."

            "Actually," her father mused. "That was also a good idea – I'm joking, Akima! Really! Now keep that fist down!"

            "When is it?" she asked, after things had calmed down and Akira had nursed his reddening nose. 

            "Tomorrow," his voice a little muffled, Akira replied. "Two o'clock."

            "Tomorrow – Saturday –" Akima's eyes widened and zoomed in into Akira's even wider eyes. "Devil's teeth, you're going against my school!!"

            "Shohoku? You're from Shohoku??"

            "What a nice coincidence." Her father smiled. "So who will you be supporting? Your school or Ryonan?"

            "I don't know. Who's better?"

            Akira grinned. "Hard to say. But maybe you should go for your school, just to be loyal."

            "Yeah, but I'll be cheering for you too."

            "In a cheerleading outfit?"

            That got him another pinch, this time on the cheek. "Thanks, by the way." He managed amidst laughter. "I appreciate it." 

            "What? The pinch?"

            "No. The support. No one on earth would appreciate your killer pinch." 

            They finished up their food, and after Akima argued and debated with the waitress, got themselves a discount. Walking back to the car, Akira grabbed hold of Akima to slow her down and when Mr. Hanashi was far enough from hearing, he whispered, "I've always wanted a sister. I'm glad I got you."

            "I could use a strong and good-looking brother like you myself." 

            He laughed. "I thought it'd be awkward between us, but it's not, is it?"

            "No. It was, but not anymore. I think I'm beginning to like you."

            "Really? I fell in love with you the moment we met."

            Taken aback by the outrageously frank declaration, she struggled to keep her thoughts aligned. "Oh, really? And not just because of my great butt?"

            "No, but also because of your great legs."

            Laughing and hooking an arm around each other's shoulders in a friendly gesture, they rushed to catch up with Mr. Hanashi.

            She arrived home at twelve. After scheduling tomorrow's plans, her father had given her another peck on the cheek, and busy savouring the sweet moment, she was caught by surprise when Akira grabbed her and gave her an enthusiastic and noisy kiss on the lips. It shocked her for a moment, but she soon accepted the fact that her stepbrother was just helplessly affectionate. Not that she minded. And to show him her share of affection, she had generously given him a hard slap-from-Hell on his butt. Still chuckling about it, she walked up the steps of the flat and pushed the door of her house open.

            Her mother, with a tear-streaked face, jumped at her the moment she stepped in. "Akima! Thank goodness you're back!" She hugged her daughter tightly. "I thought he'd taken you away. I thought you would never come back and I'd never see you again. I –"

            "I'm here, Mom. Relax."

            Her mother calmed down and finally released her. "I was so worried. I thought you would go with him because he can obviously offer you a better life and –"

            "I'm happy with you, Mom." Pushing her mother gently into a couch, she proceeded to massage her mother's sagging shoulders. "I'll never leave you. Dad and I just talked. I met my stepbrother. I like him a lot."

            Her mother stayed quiet. "Did he – did he say anything about me?"

            "Yeah," Akima said, carefully choosing her words. "I … asked him whether he'll ever come back to you."

            "And he said no, didn't he?"

            "But he still cares about you, in a way."

            Her mother nodded. "I don't blame him." Then to herself, "It was a stupid fight." She looked at her daughter. "It was a stupid fight, Akima."

            "I know, Mom." 

            "I wish it didn't happen."

            "Me too." Then, looking at her mother's distressed face, she said in a lighter tone: "But the past is past. Maybe you and Dad can be friends, now that he's back. I agreed to go watch a basketball game with him tomorrow. Why don't you come along? Akira's playing, did you know? Akira is my stepbrother, by the way. It'll be fun! "

            "No. It still hurts seeing him."

            "Oh." Out of words, Akima stared awkwardly at the floor. "Sorry, mom."

            "You must be tired." Her mother said. "Why don't you go up to your room and sleep?"

            Nodding, she left her mother staring at the floor and headed for her room. _Oh God, she still loves him._

The basketball game coming up – next chapter! (Shohoku VS Ryonan) ^__^


	18. Game

Eighteenth chapter! Yep, the day of the game has finally arrived. I think most of you will bean me up for delaying it *pales at the thought* but it's here! So please save your knives and axes for other times. As usual, I hope you enjoy this. : D

Leika: I've prepared my will. Thanks for the advice! As a matter of fact, I'm even dressed in bomb-proof clothes with a bullet-proof helmet on my head. Let the Sendoh-Rukawa war begin! (actually, make that basketball-proof helmet – both guys can aim well!!)

Tiran: Arigato! I will try my best to impress you. : ) *quickly thinks if it's sane to make such a promise* 

Kka: stop changing your name!! I'm getting confused!!! ;P So glad you're back. And NO! There will be NO incest! *stares at kka sulkily* what on earth made u think I'll do that? BTW, I took Akima's name from Titan A.E. I didn't know F. Fantasy had one too…

Fiery Ice: Thank you. *beams* Why is it hard for you to get a PC? *scratches head curiously* 

Sll: Ya, exams over – happy sikit lar… but now I have to face something even worse – THE RESULTS. I'm thinking about relocating to Perak where my parents won't be able to find me. : ) I dunno if this is too late, but good luck for ur PMR! (that reminds me, tomorrow, I got CUTI becuz of your PMR! Ha ha ha!)

Silhouette Panther: Thank you. : ) BTW, I am really waiting for your updates, good comrade. The holidays are approaching, and I am going to be bored to death. *hint hint* Maybe somebody here could like, write more fics *nudge nudge* and keep me preoccupied… ^___^

Mimi: Thanks. Who am I going to support? That's a TOUGH question. I'll go meditate for a hundred years and tell you when I find the answer, OK? ^__^ I hope you'll read more too. : )

Renei: I like my pen name! Now that exams are over, it fits me! What do you mean ur making a mistake by making a Rukawa-OC-Sendoh story?? *looks scandalized* WHY?? What's wrong with Rukawa-OC-Sendoh? PS: Hey, what's your story anyway? How come you didn't recommend it to me *turns away with a hurt expression* Joking! You don't have to if you don't want to. : )

Frack: Hopeless hentai… ha ha ha! I have to agree with you there!

Yoriko: *still stares at Mr. Hanashi sympathetically* Thanks! Am continuing! *waves at yoriko*

Maemi: Chapter's here! Yeah, I bet Rukawa will be surprised too – imagine that. 

Choco no baka: Hello, choco-no-baka-san! When I saw nothingtodo-san, I burst laughing and couldn't stop! Ha ha! The main character's back in the limelight. : ) Missed him, didn't ya? And no, I am not sincere. Thanking the reviewers is just part of my plan to conquer the world! Muahahaha! : ) Heh heh. I've got a brain the size of a pea too, only smaller.

Joy: Good! Both our exams are over! We should celebrate, Joy-san! I'm glad u like the way Akira is in this fic, though he's a bit hentai – but a good one!! Somehow, hentai-ness suits him, don't u think?

Reika Zelon: Wha! THREE stories! You're a champion. Sorry for me mistaking you as Reiko! Your names are quite close! Gomen! Anyway, enjoy this chap!

Sakura Rui: *narrows eyes at Sakura* I think you have plans for Sendoh-san and Akima-san in that devious head of yours… If I were to put them together, I think not only will Rukawa freak out, but also Mr. Hanashi and Mrs. Hanashi and not to mention Sendoh's mom and his team mates and … :D

Aianne: That's a nice way to spell a name. : ) I should name characters in those complicated spellings too! Thanks for reviewing! 

Reiko: Thanks. : ) I'll answer your second question: Think of Sendoh in a sort of American way – no boundaries I-am-free guy. He's not exactly the proper, stiff gentlemen. He's a bit carefree and shows his affections rather carelessly. : ) That kiss was just an innocent one. Something your brother would do to you to either a) annoy you or b) charm you. My little brother hugs me, and I simply melt… The other two questions? *bolts* sorry, not available for comment. Find out!

Eighteenth chapter

            The place was buzzing with people from all sorts of categories. Grandmothers and grandfathers, who probably had a grandson playing or maybe didn't have anything else to do, fathers and mothers, sitting quietly watching the area and their kids, young people, young couples, those who enjoyed basketball and those who came to watch their friends, little kids erupting with tantrums at the long wait and babies –

            _What the hell are the babies here for?? Kaede Rukawa snorted, staring around, his eyes carefully searching the crowd. __And where the hell is she??_

            "Team! Gather around!" boomed the captain, with the manageress at his side, ever ready with her paper fan. "Sakuragi! What are you doing?? Come here! No, Haruko cannot sit with us. Leave the poor girl alone. Rukawa! Rukawa!"

            With a vicious oath, he turned from his engrossing treasure hunt and grumpily trotted over to where the team crouched to hear the strategy-of-the-day. He vaguely heard his fellow redhead teammate say something about how a genius can win without strategies. "Idiot." He retorted, provoked by the annoyance bubbling inside him (but mostly unable to stop the habit). "Your one and only knowledge of running without using your brain and embarrassing the team can barely score us half a point." 

            "What did you say??" 

            "You heard what I said."

            "Why, Rukawa, you stupid, brain dead fox %&!*()#&()!^%$#!…"

            "Wow, this is a LOT of people." Akima enthused (properly dressed) as she followed her father and stepbrother (whom she jokingly calls: Step-bother). "I would've mistaken it for a concert."

            "You haven't seen Shoyo games," Akira laughed. "80 percent of the crowd happen to be their students. And they bring these empty bottles and bring the stadium down."

            "I don't see many Shohoku students – not yet, anyway," Akima admitted, wishing she had thought of bringing something to make some noise. "Do Ryonan students come and watch the game?"

            "Quite a large number. But they don't create much racket. They just watch quietly and cheer when necessary." Akira stopped when they reached a junction. "You and dad go ahead to the seats. I'll just go over here and meet the coach."

            "Aw, does that mean I'm not going to see him get mad at you for being late?" 

            "Oh, he won't get mad." He winked. "Trust me."

            Akima didn't doubt him, but he didn't have to know it. "I know better than that." Patting him on the shoulder, she wished him luck, and after he tried to persuade her about the cheerleading idea again and failed miserably, she left with her father to search for strategic seats.

            She saw Ika and her friends, hissed "D.U.L.L.s" under her breath and carefully avoided being noticed. They were dressed in Shohoku's colour and were holding up banners glittering with Kaede's name. _Not that he'll notice it, she thought wickedly, and then quickly sobered herself down. _

            She saw other people she knew, and avoided them too, just to be safe. So much about not seeing many Shohoku students earlier on.

            "Dad, you're taking me to the Ryonan side." Akima muttered with some amusement as they approached the blue-clad crowd. 

            The look of surprise on her father's face was completely see-through. "Oh, really? Wow. I never noticed. Well, the Shohoku's side is at the other end, quite far don't you think? And since we're here already…"

            "Honestly, Dad –"

            "Look! Great seats! Right up front! Heaven-sent!" 

            Akima decided to give up. Sooner or later, she would've done so anyway. Besides, the front row over at the Shohoku's side was conquered by the D.U.L.L.s and other girls from the Rukawa Fan Club. She didn't belong there.

            Sitting beside her father, she had to smile when he stretched out his limbs in all directions and settled down with one leg over hers and one arm around her seat. Her father used to spread himself out as much as possible when watching TV. He took up so much space that you had to sit at least a metre away to be safe.

            The whistle sounded, and growing excited, she sat up straight. "Look! There's Akira!" her father was enthusiastically pointing. "That's him! That's him!"

            "I know, Dad," Akima laughed. "He's really hard to miss."

            When the names of the players were announced, Akima decided Ryonan didn't need much of their students for vocal support anyway. Most of the crowd roared at their names – especially Akira's – even though she bet they barely knew the players. 

            Then the Shohoku's players were announced.

            Akima sat up even straighter, trying not to scream out loud, what with a hundred and more Ryonan students around her. She saw familiar members of the basketball team, spared a thought at how confident they looked. Then she saw him.

            The cheers were just as loud as Akira's, but crazier when his name boomed out. Girls were practically falling over the railing in their mindless screaming and yelling. The only thing keeping Akima from attempting the very same thing was the memory of the 'incident' that caused her to blush and stay where she was quietly. 

            _Did it really happen? Somehow, she felt as though she had dreamed it all. __But it was just a mistake. He made that rather clear. Eyes softening, she smiled. __He looks so good…  even with that frown. Why's he frowning? He was so into this game. Isn't this what he's been waiting for? … such nice legs …_

_            The game started on Ryonan's side. Akima watched with intense interest as her stepbrother and his teammates did extremely fast and excellent passes. "Wow." One of the guys had the ball with him – __that's a funny hairstyle he's got, Akima mused – and looked ready to shoot when he did a full 180 degrees turn and passed the ball back to Akira._

            "He's going to shoot!" Akima said breathlessly as Akira dashed up to the hoop in complicated movements. 

            "You bet!" her father echoed as the everybody around them stood up to cheer harder. "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!"

            "Go, Akira!" Akima yelled out together with the rest.

             Akira released the ball – it looked like a precise shot – when one big hand came up and blocked it away. The Ryonan side groaned in disappointment while the Rukawa Brigade started their cheering ritual all over again. 

            Akima's jaw hung open. _Devil's butt! Her head screamed at her. __Did you see that?? Did you see that?? _

            "Wow." She managed as the ball, possessively held by Kaede, bounced off to Shohoku's side of the court.

            "Sakuragi! Ball coming through!!"

            SMACK!

            The side of the redhead's face (who was busy smiling up at a certain girl at the top seat a couple of seconds ago) turned as red as his hair as the ball bounced off and into the opponent's hands. 

            "IDIOT!" the captain bellowed as they quickly retraced their steps for defence, almost as scary as the previous captain. "What on bloody hell were you doing???!!"

            Tiny drops of tears were shining at the side of the redhead's eyes. "Ouch…" 

            "STUPID FOOL!"

            Kaede didn't even bother to waste his energy to sigh. That was, if anything, typical and absolutely expected. He once again took his defending position, narrowed his eyes as Sendoh advanced forward. So far, he had scored over 27 points, just a point over Sendoh. Not bad, but he'd still like a bigger gap in between, thank you very much.

            _What's he going to do? Fake, or not fake? Left? Right? His thoughts collided with each other as his eyes jerked along with his opponent's eye movements. __Shit, he's gotten much better. Grimly he lowered himself even more and spread his arms further. __But then, so have I._

            He managed to stand in Sendoh's way when he jerked forward but was caught by surprise when his rival turned the other way round and jumped for a shot. Kaede had trouble finding a curse vile enough for himself as the ball went in and the crowd cheered appreciatively.

            Sendoh spared a smile for him before turning to the crowd and waving furiously.

            _No need to smile, Kaede fumed quietly. __I'll wipe it off soon enough.              _

            "Learnt much yet?" Sendoh was yelling out to someone at the spectator's seat.

            "Considerably!" Came the amused but excited reply. "That goal was fantastic, Akira!"

            Kaede snorted, annoyed that Sendoh apparently didn't seem to care that the ball was going to be sent to Shohoku's side and was still busying himself with that girl he was screaming too. Flirting at a time like this, of all the – 

            _Wait a minute – his mind blanked. __I know that voice!_

            He looked up sharply and when his eyes focused in on Akima, everything else blacked out. She was here, all right. AT the Ryonan side, WITH the Ryonan people, and for heaven's sake, cheering on a RYONAN player. "What the hell-"

            "Rukawa! Ball!"

            In an incident almost matching the redhead's, the ball whacked his face and went offside. His head reeled, and for a brief moment, he understood what the redhead (who at the moment was too busy laughing) had gone through.

            "Rukawa!" the captain cried out in anguish, pure helplessness on his face. "Not you too!"

            When his eyes recovered, he saw Akima looking down on him with concern, only he didn't recognise the concern and mistook it for amusement. _Damn you! He cursed silently, gathering his senses and dignity. __Damn you to hell and back!_

            The ball was in Ryonan's hands now and once again, Akira scored.

            He waved at Akima again, and she waved right back. Kaede could hear the blood hissing in his ears. He glared at Akima, who noticed it and faltered slightly, more out of surprise than fear. 

            "Swift attack!" his captain was saying. "Rukawa! Get up front, damn it! You think the ball can bounce itself into the hoop??"

            He gave Akima another glare, which she received with wide eyes. _So you're cheering for Sendoh, is it?, his furious brain lashed out. __Well, I'll give you something to cheer about too! _

            The ball was passed to him. _Watch, he directed it unconsciously to Akima, going against two burly Ryonan players and squeezing the ball in between them and into the hoop. It was fast, surprising and outrageously stylish. _

            The crowd whooped and cheered, and his fans had tears running down their faces.  

            He straightened himself from his jump and sent a challenging and smug look at Akima. She was staring at him with a face frozen with shock and awe. He could barely keep his ego intact. _That's just the surface, Akima. Watch me go into deeper waters. Then you'll have something worth screaming about._

*grins devilishly* Hope you like that. BTW, just a short announcement. I've written another fic called 'Chains'. If you have time, check it out. : ) Ja!


	19. Misunderstanding

Nineteenth chap!! Firstly, my apologies to all those who expected more game action. Gomen! I didn't see fit to put in any more stuff about the game – well, okay, actually, I had run out of ideas. :P And I'd also like to apologise for the length of this chapter – it's incredibly short, but I'll make it up by posting the next chapter in less than four days. Is that all right?? *looks at her readers anxiously*

Mimi: You really think Sendoh will fall for Akima?? Why is that? *question marks start popping* Aww, you're so sweet, defending all three hearts… *am so touched* T_T *notices that mimi laughed at the end of her review and wonders if mimi meant what she said…*

Ashes of angels: *watches grimly as ashes-of-angels hits Sendoh* Don't stop. : ) Yeah, you gotta hate Sendoh for making Rukawa look weaker! Grrrr! But you gotta love him for that too! *sighs*

Tiran: Thanks! Your most favourite?? *blinks* Whoa…*is stunned till speechless*

Choco_no_baka: You know, I'm getting fond of your nickname. : ) You conquered the world?? Already?? Oh, gosh, President of Earth with a name like Choco-no-baka!!! (He he) I hope you'll get influenced by me again and type more!!

Sakura Rui: Ha ha ha! Imagine that!

Maemi: Thanks! And good luck for your exams – hopefully, I'm not too late in wishing you that!!

Fiery ice: Thanks, fiery ice! I understand the siblings problem (I live with FOUR of them). But I usually win! Ha ha ha! Nway, yeah, I'm from Malaysia. How'd you know??? What does PMB stands for? Peperiksaan Menengah Brunei?? How come you're in Brunei? Did you move there?? *questions start pouring out of nothingtodo's mouth that her fingers cannot keep up to type it out…*

Fehrocious: Whoa… just like your name, you ARE ferocious! I can't believe you read all eighteen chapters at one go! *mouth drops open* Congratulations! 

Renei: No, I'm not offended – just angry. (Kidding!) Ha ha! If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with your sendoh-oc-rukawa?? 

Girl_sport17: No problem. Actually, now that exams is over and I only have two more weeks of school, I'll probably be updating a lot sooner than usual. : ) I doubt Kaede will have trouble impressing Akima.

Rukawa Joycie: *nothingtodo waits for Rukawa Joycie to finish damning her* Ha ha! Actually, to be honest, I did miss you, but what did you want me to do? Stalk you down and demand why you haven't been reviewing? I bet I'd scare you half to death! You know, I can't tell from your review if you were happy with the chapter or not *looks at Rukawa Joycie in puzzlement* And I CANNOT believe you reviewed word for word! Ha ha! The reason why I haven't read Hear My Heart is because I wasn't aware it was up. Gomen! BTW, better get your versions typed out … : )

            You know, I have a feeling that after reading this chapter, you'll be fuming at me – for reasons you'll find out soon enough. Heh heh! Write your own version about this too, okay? PS: Yes, I took the scene from the Shoyo game *blushes guiltily*. And NO, the ending of chapter 18 WAS NOT MEANT TO BE VIEWED THAT WAY! *signs Rukawa Joycie into a religious school* Ha ha ha! The funny thing is, now that you mentioned it, it does sound dirty, doesn't it?? Ha ha!

Rei Tomiyama: Hi. Thanks. : ) Tell your sister I'll check chapter two of NJA2 and see what I was talking about.  I'm a forgetful person really. :P

Frack: You seem to be supporting Kaede in this… *Akima glares at Frack*

Dark Angel Revived: You're kka, right? You changed your name again! Waaaah! *nothingtodo goes crazy and dances around the room*  Who will win?? Who knows?? *nothingtodo kicks D.A.R for thinking about incest* There you go! Ha ha!

Tensaispira: Yep, on with the next chapter! Thanks for keeping up with this story!

Sll: Congratulations for escaping out of PMR alive and breathing. : ) I heard there was a controversy over the Literature paper… Nway, you'll do fine. Everybody'll say they sucked, but walla walla, when the results come out, they get straight A's. : ) *notices that Sll has fallen asleep* never mind.

Patty g: Thanks! Am updating! Are u reading?? 

He

             "Dad, are you sure about this?" Akima asked nervously as they made their way onto the court after the forty-minutes of play ended. "What if they kick us out? We're not supposed to be down here. We're supposed to be leaving."

            "Relax, Akima. I'm a good friend of Taoka. That's the Ryonan coach, in case you don't know." Mr. Hanashi confidently led her onto the polished floor where the basketball players were still hanging around, resting while their managers (or manageress) either congratulated or consoled them. "I'm sure he won't mind. Besides we need to say something to Akira."

            Spotting them, Akira crawled his way exhaustedly out of the group of players and went over to them, smiling with sweat rolling down his neck. He took one look at Akima and managed a smile. "You're trying hard not to look pleased, aren't you?"

            Akima managed a smile back. "In a way, yes, but I wanted you to win too."

            Akira shrugged. "I thought we had it, but that Rukawa had to do a slam dunk and change the tide." He looked down at the floor for a moment, and then surfaced with a cheerful grin. "That kid sure got talent in him. Damn, he's improved a hundredfold."

            Akima stole a glance at the Shohoku team which was still celebrating. She could distinctively recognise the redhead's laughter (it's one of a kind). Then, she spotted Kaede sitting exhaustedly on the bench, his neck wrapped with a towel and a bottle of ice cold water stuck to his dehydrated mouth. _He's so terrific… Shifting her attention to her stepbrother, she said: "You were so great, step-bother." She whipped out a towel and set out on a task to wipe the sweat covering his face and neck away. "I'm so proud of you I could actually see myself kissing your hands in admiration."_

            Akira laughed. "In the next few games, you'll be kissing my feet. But for now," He leaned down and offered her his cheek. "This spot will do. Come on, give your hard-working brother a show of appreciation."

            When Akima raised her hand, he quickly backed away. "Aw, not that butt-slap."

            "No, I was just trying to pull your head down so I can reach you." She pulled his face down and smacked him on the cheek he had offered earlier. 

            "Since you're so into getting kisses," their father started, eyes twinkling devilishly. "Let me give you one too, son."

            "No thanks, Dad. I'm a big guy now. Dad. No, dad. No!" Akira struggled when Mr. Hanashi grabbed him. "Akima! Help! Stop him! Dad! Stop!" There was a pause. Then – "Aaaaargh! I've been purified for life!!"

            The peals of laughter from the Ryonan side that reached Kaede's ears sizzled in the heat of anger that he was producing. He saw it, all right. That Akima wiping off the sweat from Sendoh's body and kissing him in front of the world as if they're married or something.

            _We won and that girl is laughing around with the enemy, Kaede thought sourly. What the hell? Has she forgotten what school she's from? Has she forgotten where her loyalties lie? Has she forgotten HIM??_

            "I need to go to the ladies'" he heard Akima inform the man she was with as she _finally let go of Sendoh's face, still laughing. "Wait for me."_

             Sendoh's face was still sour after that undoubtedly embarrassing scene with that man, but it quickly turned mischievous when he slapped Akima's backside affectionately. She returned it just as powerfully. Kaede's eyes narrowed, his grip on the bottle tightening.

            On impulse, he got up and followed Akima.

What's Kaede gonna do?? *starts whistling and walks off happily, leaving her readers sharpening their knives behind her* I have to say, this is one heck of a cliffhanger! Muahahaha!


	20. Wrong interpretation

Twentieth! Gomen again for the last chapter since it was so short and also because I'm updating one day later than what I promised. Still, this chapter is long enough, I suppose, to make up for that. : ) 

Nayomi: Akima in skin tight clothes?? You like it?? *starts guffawing on the floor* Yeah, Sendoh 'loves' Akima, but not exactly in the way some of you seem to think it is. : ) Read on for more info!

SLL: WHAT are you doing surfing the net at 2 am??? *looks at Sll's knife nervously* Erm, aah…

Silhouette Panther: Which fic did you continue??? 

Renei: *nods grimly as renei bashes her head on the computer table* Them? Get married?? Girl, you're looking way too far into the future!!

Sakura Rui: Ha ha ha! Ore wa EVIL and CRAZY too!

Fire-phinx: Am continuing! 

Fehrocious: Yes, you ARE ferocious *ignores fehrocious's protests* I pity Sendoh-san. Use the knife on him! Not me!

Avalon: Confront her in the toilet?? Why not? Read on. : ) And this chap it rather long. Hope it's enough for you long-chapter-lovers. : ) I didn't mean to make the last one so short. It just seemed appropriate to stop there. : ) Gomen.

Fiery Ice: PMB is penilaian menegah bawah?? I didn't know. Heh heh! Have fun pretending to study. I always do. : P

Devoted2Mitsui: Thanks! Who's to say who ends up with who?

Reika Zelon: More coming! See what's he'll do!!

Yoriko: Thanks! What's the good luck for???

Sodina: Thank you! You're in suspense?? I wonder why…

Tensaispira: Congrats for surviving PMR (it IS PMR isn't it??) Thank you so much for reviewing. I'm awfully glad you could picture it in your mind!

Maemi: Yo! Yeah, it was a cliff hanger (at least, it was SUPPOSED to be). I hope you liked it! Ha ha! How's ur exams??

Kka: Well, at least you listed down all of your names so I won't get confused! Ha ha! Arigato! *reads more of kka's review and then throws a third wave of banana attack*

Patty g: Thanks! I'm glad you like this story!

Girl_sport17: You hate me?? *voice gets louder* YOU HATE ME?? YOU'E TRYING TO KILL ME WITH YOUR GLARE??

Choco_no_baka: I suggest you let me go. Maybe I'll have a chance to repay you by posting other chapters up! : ) Relax, you're not wasting my time. I like reading your review, even though you lost your President Throne!

Naohmee: Arigato! Were you REALLY in the hospital, or were you pulling my leg? If you were, why?? What happened? Thanks! I like Akira too! *starts drooling uncontrollably* 

Twentieth chapter.

She got her business with the toilet bowl done with and unsuspectingly stepped out of the ladies' room when one strong arm grabbed her and pinned her against the wall. "What on earth –" her breath hitched. "Kaede."

            His grip was firm and strong, and the look on his face chilled her slightly. She dimly became aware that they were alone in a corridor that no one would likely visit at this time. Suddenly she wished somebody's bladder would cause problems and come save her.

            He was scaring her.

            Ever since he glared at her during the game, he'd scared her.

            "H-hi." She willed herself to relax. _It's just Kaede, she reminded herself. __Relax. He's not a serial killer and is unlikely to become one in the near future. "Congratulations."_

            "What the hell were you doing sitting at the Ryonan side?" he demanded, anger bubbling away inside him.

            "What? Oh, that." She coughed. "Um, you see –"

            "Damn right I saw. Cheering on the opposing team and that no good lover of yours in front of God and country."

            She blinked. "Akira?"

            He bristled at her use of Sendoh's first name. That itself spoke volumes of their relationship.        

            "He's not my lover." She tried to push him, but to no avail. "He's my –"

            "He had his hand on your ass."

            What was the matter with him?? "I had mine on his too," she informed, trying to make him see it was no big deal. "We were just –"

            "You kissed him."

            It was said in such an accusing tone that Akima wondered if kissing equalled murder. Helplessly, she looked at Kaede and wondered if there was anything she could do to put some senses into his head other than smacking him with a head-butt. "What's wrong with you??" she pushed again. "What's it to you if I kiss him? What does it matter what I do with him?"

            He felt the anger pounding in his head. "It matters." He hissed. Before she could sink that statement in, he rushed straight on angrily. "How would you like it if I did that to you??" His hand circled around her to clutch the back of her skirt, his eyes warrior-like.

            Her eyes widened at the unexpected assault, and realising that she was dealing with an outraged person who's not used to being outraged, she calmed her tone. "Kaede, stop it. You're scaring me. You're not thinking straight –"

            That did it. The way she spoke to him, as if he was being silly and absurd prodded his sensibilities. His bubbling temper now simply spewed over. "To hell with it," he muttered before crushing his mouth down to hers.

            For a moment, the dim light hanging over the ceiling ironically blinded her. She nearly toppled over by the sudden imbalance if not for the wall supporting her. It wasn't the gentle, curious and brisk experimental kiss she'd received at his garden. It was hard, powerful and … exciting.

            _That's what it all comes down too, she admitted guiltily. __Exciting._

             She put up a brief struggle – it seemed customary under the circumstances – but it quickly dissolved into acceptance and surrender. This was what she'd always wanted, wasn't it?

            He promised himself he'd stop. In another second or two. Just another second or two. Then, shyly, cautiously, she started to kiss him back and all thoughts of ending it vanished from his head.

            "I can explain," Akima quickly started when he drew back after some time. 

            "You can shut up," he said mildly, leaning forward to start all over again.

            "Okay."

            Footsteps, dainty, clicking ones that hinted at high heels, were heading toward them. It went unnoticed until – 

            "OH. MY. GOD."

            They broke off abruptly and stared at the red-clad girl gaping at them from the end of the corridor. Akima's eyes bulged. "Ika!"

            Ika Kirani glowered at her, and then turned back and burst into a run, undoubtedly rushing to her pack of friends. Akima groaned. She could practically see the bad omen flashing at her. 

            "What's she doing here?" Kaede muttered irritably. 

            "You had a game, remember? Didn't you see the huge banners they'd painfully made for you?" The blank look on his face answered her. "Forget it. I, uh, I better go."

            "Wait, I'm not finished with you yet –"

            "My dad's waiting for me."

            He stared at her. "Your dad?"

            "The man who's with me. He's my dad."

He frowned. "But I thought you said –" A sudden realisation dawned on him, and he turned slightly blue. "So Sendoh is…"

            "My stepbrother."

            He didn't say anything as embarrassment crept it. He was rarely embarrassed and he had trouble dealing with it. "Oh."

            She couldn't stop the smile. He looked so confused! "Yeah. '_Oh_'." 

            "What took you so long?" Akira asked when she returned. "Dad's gone to take the car."

            She willed herself not to blush. "Nothing." _No, no, don't blush! Don't blush!_

            Akira looked at her and then suddenly his eyes darted at Rukawa, who had emerged closely behind his stepsister and was now busy putting on his red Shohoku jacket. "Don't tell me…" he started, and then burst into a smile. "Oh no. Not my sister and my number one rival!"

            "I don't know what you're talking about." Akima said primly. 

            Chuckling, Akira winked at her. "Yes, you do." He shook his head in amusement. "Heaven protect me."

            Despite Akima's angry mutterings, he walked over to Rukawa, smiling impishly. "Good game." He called out cheerfully.

            Rukawa looked at him suspiciously, wondering if Sendoh had lost his mind. "Yeah."

            "Congratulations."

            "Thank you." He nodded. "Your team was good too."

            Akira laughed. "No, not that. I'm talking about my sister."

            Rukawa stopped in his act of zipping his jacket. _Uh oh. "What about your sister?" He said carefully, looking over Sendoh's shoulder and seeing Akima slapping her forehead in distress. _

            "Stop that act, you nutcase. You've had your hands on her and you ask me that sort of question?" Then, with a painful cry, Akira toppled forward, as a result of Akima's solid kick to his unprotected backside. "Aaargh!"

            "Sorry," Akima said with dignity to the blinking Shohoku star, blushing furiously. "I've yet to teach him some manners."

            Unable to help himself, he started to blush too. "Hmm."

            Ignorant to the aching pain in his butt, Akira chuckled. "I knew it! Both of you have been up to something, or you wouldn't be blushing as if you'd seen each other naked!" He paused, and then formed a huge 'O' with his mouth. "You didn't do that, did you??" Again, he received a kick, this time from Rukawa.

            Not losing hope, Akira jumped to his feet. "Where's Dad? I've got to tell him –" He was unable to finish his sentence as both Akima and Rukawa grimly held him down and covered his mouth securely with a handkerchief. 


	21. Poor you

Twenty-first chapter! Enjoy!

Tensaispira: Sure. Of course you can e-mail me. *looks at tensaispira with a puzzled look* you didn't even have to ask!

Ferohcious: Not that I'm a busybody *puts on an innocent face* but what did you do to your hostage, sendoh-san?

Girl_sport17: Be prepared to screw Ika. : )

Yoriko: Bad luck???? Oh man, that's even worse!! Nah, I wasn't rejecting your good luck. I was just wondering why, dat's all. I mean, my exams are over and I have nothing to fight with anymore, so I was just puzzled. :P

Devoted2Mitsui: Thanks!

Fiery ice: Have fun in your holidays! I know I WILL! Ha ha!

Frack: Heh heh… If Rukawa blushing scared the roots out of you, I wouldn't want to know what'll happen if he went on bended knee and propose with flowers.

SLL: Meet me?? *nothingtodo turns pale and unconsciously straightens her shirt* Ha ha! You might be surprised! I don't think I reach up to your expectations!!

Mimi: What do I intend to do?? Did you think I'd tell you that??

Idiotic Moron: Wow, I've got to thank Renei. Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like Akima!

Reika Zelon: More coming!

Jo_sen7: Chapter's up! Read on!

Tiran: Thanks!

Dicta License: Gosh, I'm really flattered. Thanks!

Choco_no_baka: I am human.  *nods firmly* : D 

Kka: You hentai!! *throws apples this time*

Unchained: Yep! I AM having fun writing!

Renei: Sendoh FITS the hentai characteristic! THAT'S WHY!

Reiko: Your review did mean a lot to me. : ) Make the chapters LONGER?? *looks at reiko in amazement* You serious?? You can stand reading so much?? I usually cut  my stories into small portions long enough to sustain the reader's interest. : )

Rukawa Joycie: Yay! You wrote down your version! *reads on* Cool! Maybe I should post it up next to my chapter. ??? yes? No? Can't wait for more versions from you!!

Naohmee: I like the kissing part too *blushes shyly* ha ha ha! And let's damn ika to hell together!

Electric muffin: You're abusing one of my main characters and you want to see the other one naked?? YOU DARE ASK ME FOR ONE MORE CHAPTER AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE??? (joking) ha ha ha! Read on!

Leika: Relax. You're doing a thesis?? How old are you?? You're really crazy about wars, aren't you??

Zackire: Relax! You can still read it!

Sakura Riu: Thanks!

Maemi: OK. I won't ask for your results. : ) And NO! I'm not blushing! Flattered, yes, but not blushing!!

Shadow of Solitude: Rukawa joycie's with you?? Waaah, dangerous. 

J1018: Thanks! Me?? Evil??

Frozenfemale: Thanks *blush*. I as surprised at the numerous reviews myself!!

Sodina: Find out! Thanks for reviewing by the way!

Mistress of darkness: Hope your exams was ok- and if it was not, hope this chap'll cheer you up!

            "Stop right there, Akima."

            Shifting her school bag, Akima turned and faced Ika and six of her friends. "Hello, Ika."

            "Don't you 'hello' me!" Ika snapped.

            Undisturbed, Akima blinked. "Okay. Hi, Ika."

            Ika gritted her teeth. "What's going on with you and Rukawa?" she demanded.

            "Well," Akima pretended to think about it. "At the moment, I am going home. I don't know what's in Rukawa's agenda, though."

            Ika gave Akima a shove. "You know what I'm talking about." She hissed angrily. "I want to know what on earth happened last Saturday, in front of the ladies' room."

            "I went inside and peed. That's what happened."

            Ika looked as if she was going to explode. Deciding to stop beating around the bush, she stepped menacingly to Akima and was disturbed when she barely even flinched like she used to. "He's not meant for you."

            "And you are, what? A goddess who can foretell the future?"

Ika ignored that. "You're nothing but a poor daughter of an even poorer maid!"

Akima nodded gravely. "True. True."

_Why isn't she reacting like she's supposed to?? Ika thought, almost panicking. __Everything's turning out wrong! "I want you to leave Rukawa alone!"_

Akima smiled. "Tell that to him. He's the one chasing me."

Ika's face turned dark for a moment with disbelief. "Shut up! I don't believe you!"

"Ask him yourself," Akima shrugged nonchalantly. "Ah, what a coincidence. Here he comes." All of them turned sideways to see Kaede Rukawa walking across the sun dappled yard, his blue eyes clearly glinting.

"Problem?" he asked in that quiet, dangerous voice of his as soon as he neared the gate where the girls stood. 

Ika backed away awkwardly, her cheeks turning beet-red. But she still refused to surrender. _No way am I going to give in one more time! I am Ika Kirani! My father is Lee Kirani! President of the Mar Holdings!_

Then, another broad-shouldered guy emerged from a sparkling blue Mercedes and stood behind Akima. "What's going on?"

Akima turned around in surprise. "Akira! What are you doing here??"

The girls behind Ika started whispering. "Oh gosh! It's Akira Sendoh! That Ryonan player! The captain, remember?? Oh my gosh! Look at his car!" Ika bristled at her friends' lack of concentration, but then caught herself staring at the blue Mercedes. She started to feel maybe Akima wasn't exactly all that poor anymore.

"To pick you up," Akira answered. "Or do you plan to sleep here for tonight?" He turned back to the girls staring at him adoringly. "What's going on here?" he repeated, directing his question to the girl who stood front most. 

Ika turned pale. So, Akima has two bodyguards. "N-Nothing." Abruptly, she turned and quickly walked away. Her friends, giggling, reluctantly followed her.

Akira scratched his head. "Now, really, WHAT is going on?"

"Forget it," Akima advised him. "I thought Dad was supposed to pick me up."

Akira flashed a grin. "Your mom called him."

Akima blinked. "She did???"

"Yeah. They're having lunch together at the moment, with my mom. I think your mom's finally agreed to receive money from Dad monthly as part of his responsibility as a father. How about that?"

"Well, she's always been a bit stubborn about that." Akima concluded. "She always thought she'd make it by herself and refused my Dad's help."

Kaede coughed. "That rather reminds me of someone."

Akima glared at him. Akira just laughed and turned his attentions. "So, Rukawa, you're going against Shoyo next Thursday, aren't you? I heard Fujima's going into this strategy where …" and the basketball talk went on from there.

Akima sighed wryly. 

It seemed she wouldn't be home as early as she'd thought.

            It was raining the next day as Akima peeked out of the window of her classroom.  Nobody was free to pick her up today. Sendoh had a game going on with Kainan and her father had a meeting somewhere with the big-nosed Mr. Kirani. She briefly wondered what it'll be like if Ika found out that her beloved father was really Mr. Hanashi's underling and burst laughing. 

            She considered walking – she'd walked through thunderstorms before – but then remembered that they had moved away and now lived further from the school. She dreamily pictured the new house she and her mother shared in her head. Her room was bigger and – as expected – messier. The room next to her was her mother's and on the opposite was a guest-room, frequently occupied by Akira who apparently started this hobby of sleeping over. The house isn't really all that big, but to someone who's lived in a room half the size of the school's toilet, it was remarkable.

            She loved it. Every inch of it.

            She would just have to wait for the five o'clock bus. Hopefully, the rain would stop by then. Whistling as she walked around the school, she remembered the girl who had approached her during break. Akima had instantly recognised her as Ika's friend, and wondered what she wanted from her. 

            "Can you… uh, can you give this to um… Sendoh, please?"

            She had laughed and promised the girl she'd deliver it to her stepbrother, thinking her fight was with Ika, not her followers. Now, she patted the brightly wrapped package and grinned, imagining Akira's reaction.

            Her feet brought her to the gym before she even realised it. _I wonder why. Smiling wryly, she dragged the door open, and stepped in. Kaede was, as usual, up on his feet with a ball in his hand. He did one excellent shot, landed gracefully on his feet and turned. "Hi."_

            "You don't look surprised." Akima pointed out. "Did you know I was coming?"

            "Yep."

            "How?"

            "Instinct." He bent to retrieve the ball that had rolled away from him. "I just knew." He straightened. "I hope you'll miss the five o'clock bus."

            Akima made a face. "I hope not. I don't want to be stuck here with you."

            He cocked his head. "Oh, yes, you do. You just don't want to admit it."

            "Darn you," she laughed, settling down on her usual spot. She had barely relaxed when the orange ball came pelting at her. She ducked and the ball zoomed past her bent head and dropped to the other side. She looked up at Kaede furiously. "What was that for??"

            "You remember the last time?"

            "Yes. At least that one was an accident." She glowered at him.

            "You're wrong."

            She blinked as the meaning of those two words sank in. "You threw the ball at me and broke my glasses on PURPOSE??"

            He shrugged. "Well, breaking your glasses wasn't part of the idea." He didn't even blink when she snarled at him. "I just wanted to talk to you. Get to know you a bit." His lips curved beautifully. "I got more than that."

            She didn't know why that five words made her so happy. They were barely flattering. She decided it had something to do with the fact that he was smiling up to her. Still, it didn't mean he could go around tossing balls at her head. "Well, you'll get even more once I get my hands on you." She threatened, though it didn't come out quite the way she wanted it to.

            "I can hardly wait."

            She made some strangled, helpless noises. "I can't believe I'm in love with you." She muttered. "Why am I in love with you?"

            His lips curved even more. "I don't know. Why don't you come here?" he suggested. "Maybe you'll find out."

            She stared at his open arms, resisting the urge to leap and jump at him. "I don't know how you do this," she grumbled, "but I can't seem to fight you back like I used to. I'm getting rusty."

            His smile was now wicked. "Poor you."

            Laughing, she went to him.

I regret to say that this will be the last chapter of 'Poor You'. T_T It has been great writing it, and I thank you all for you AMAZING support. : ) I was thinking about writing more, but it has gotten long enough, I think. A sequel might be due, but we'll just have to see. Thank you again!

I hope, however, that this story won't go forgotten. Hopefully, you'll come back and read it again every once in a while when you feel like you need a story to cheer up or whatever. : ) 


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